While You Were Gone
by Jenny0719
Summary: Upon returning to Forks, Edward quickly learns that trying to remove supernatural forces from Bella's life by leaving was in vain. She's undergone a transformation that he couldn't have even imagined. AU Part 2 coming soon
1. Chapter 1

**So I need to begin by saying that Stratan and I would really like to thank EdwardsBloodType for allowing us to adapt the concept of this fic from her oneshot "While You Were Gone". Stratan loved the oneshot and was patiently waiting for it to be continued into its original, planned fic when I spoke to him about possibly switching gears and writing something AU. It had been so long and still not made into a full story, and since we were looking into starting an AU project, he suggested it to me. It clicked for us, and it ended up being something we're both extremely excited about.**

**WYWG is more of a collaboration for Stratan and me than any other fic we've worked on together. He's not just my beta; he's been an active participant in every aspect of creating this. **

**As always, thanks to the Strat for... being involved; for keeping me on my toes with your lovely comments of "mush" and making me laugh when I'm about to scream with frustration or when I've given you something full of run-on sentences. Oh, and for keeping my ego in check. That's _super _helpful since my ego is just massive. And now I will shut up so I don't make those cute cheeks of yours flush with embarrassment... since I did promise and all. *huff***

**Thanks to MessyBar who made me consider this. If it bombs, I'm blaming it all on you ;)**

**Actual Summary:**

**Bella's a wolf. She kind of likes Edward. Stuff happens. The end.**

**Kidding! Ok, here it is really:**

**Upon returning to Forks, Edward quickly learns that trying to remove supernatural forces from Bella's life by leaving was in vain. She's undergone a transformation that he couldn't have even imagined. Watch as they navigate the new dynamic of their relationship, fight old enemies, make new friends, and face down a threat they couldn't have even conceived of.**

**If anyone wants to check out EdwardsBloodType's original O/s, here's the link: http: /www(dot) fanfiction(dot) net/s/ 5222533/1/**

**You can find me on Twitter! (at)JennyB0719**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, and we do not. No copyright infringement is intended with this fic. **

* * *

Chapter 1

**Bella**

I scowled down at the berries that I'd gathered, becoming increasingly aggravated the louder Jacob's thoughts became with the thrill of officially being chosen as my guard dog. The air was thick and damp; the ground was growing colder as the temperature dropped. Jacob's heavy paws broke the fallen limbs and displaced leaves on the forest floor as he scouted out the area _once again_. I was tired of hearing him trot around like he was some bad-ass, wolfy sentinel. He was going extremely overboard with his new "position", but I never said anything. I didn't have to. That was the only advantage of being in my current state. They heard everything.

When I wanted them to, that is.

The bad mood I'd been in for days now darkened further as I realized that I was actually put off by the berries I'd worked so hard to find. They held no enticement for me since they'd been my only food source from the moment I'd changed, and I was sick of the tart, tangy taste of them.

I wanted a burger. Maybe some fries. Something with sustenance, no matter how horrible it was for me.

Not only was the physical aspect of this new life difficult to adjust to, but I also suddenly had to contend with the thoughts of every pack member in my head. It was a lot of work to try to sort through and separate their deafening, inner turmoil and random, incessant chatter from my own thoughts. I'd often wondered how _he'd_ coped with the constant roar in his head. Now I knew. It was white noise, loud and oppressive, pushing me to the edge of madness.

Fortunately, I could do something quite cool. A 'parlor trick', if you will. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly take it anymore, I discovered that I brought a 'talent' from my human life to this one. I could bring up a wall that blocked everyone's thoughts but my own, much like I could protect them from _him_.

Silence had never been so divine.

I also found that I could… _stretch_ my shield to surround others. While within my shield, we could communicate with our minds but were protected from those on the outside. This allowed for actual private conversations, which was quite convenient when you could potentially have an audience of almost half a dozen wolves at any given moment.

I huffed in disgust. My eyes followed the white clouds billowing up into the sky with my breath, and an anguished whine escaped my throat is it slowly dissipated.

I missed being cold. Not so much the feel of your body trembling as you fought to stay warm, but the act that was a direct response to the changing temperature around you. The_ human_ response. I missed my hands and the sound of my feet pounding up the stairs as I headed up to my bedroom at home. I missed the warmth of the stove as I made Charlie's dinner and even the sound of my teachers droning on at the front of the classroom, explaining some useless theory or event in history that I'd never need to know again.

I missed my life.

But mostly, I missed _him._ It had been eight months since he'd left; eight months since I'd felt the impossible strength of his arms wrapping around me and the way his icy touch burned my skin. The pain of his departure still felt so raw and fresh, even after all this time. I was able to function now, but everything was an agonizing reminder of what I used to have; of a time when I thought _he_ would always be here with me.

I could hear Paul mentally rolling his eyes at me. _She's still hung up on that fucking bloodsucker? Christ. Doesn't she get it? We're werewolves – we _kill _vampires. She's better off without them._

I could do nothing to stop the simultaneous growl and few tears that fell upon hearing such hurtful words from by pack brother. _Paul, you just don't get it. What if Rachel was a vampire? What would you do then? Would you stop loving her?_

I could hear in his thoughts that he wanted to continue to argue this point, but he also couldn't help but grudgingly admit the truth of my words to himself.

_Yeah, I didn't think so. Now fuck off and get out of my head. _With that, I slammed the shield down, ensuring the privacy of my thoughts and protecting me from having to deal with the hateful and ignorant thoughts of the adolescent wolves that made up the pack.

I pushed past the tears that built with the ache in my chest as Jacob skidded to a halt next to me, panting heavily in my ear. With everything that had happened to me in the last few days, my sanity was quickly diminishing. I had no one to really talk to, other than the annoying wolf with me, since everyone was always out patrolling the area and making sure that I was "safe". Plus, when they weren't on patrol, they were sleeping so that they had the energy to patrol again.

_Like I can't protect myself_, I scoffed, glad that my thoughts were protected.

I knew how fast I could run, how it felt to take down the solid weight of vampire. I'd felt my razor sharp teeth slicing through Laurent's granite-like flesh with a sickening, metallic screech that made my stomach lurch. And while I'd never been given any kind of… tutorial… on how to fight, the knowledge was instinctual. I didn't need the overbearing worry and concern of this _pup. _I was more than capable of handling this myself.

Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of Jake phasing back into human form. I made sure to look as far away as possible so as to not catch a glimpse of my half-brother that would require _gallons_ of brain bleach.

"Bella, c'mon. I know what Paul said was really harsh, but you know how Sam gets about you throwing your shield up. Especially now, with everything going on. At least let _me_ in, okay?"

I huffed out a breath, but conceded. I nodded to let him know that I was willing. Jake quickly phased back, and I stretched my shield around him.

_Why can't you just leave me alone?_ I asked sharply.

This earned me a wolfy eye roll. _You _know_ why I can't leave you alone. That crazy vamp bitch is still out there and is after you. We _will_ get her, but until then, we can't take any risks, and we can't leave you unprotected._

I snarled. _But I'm fine here alone. I don't need your 'protection'. Don't forget – I have a kill under my belt, _you_ don't._

Sadness flickered in his eyes. He didn't even respond to my goading. I instantly felt awful for being such a bitch to him. It wasn't his fault I was like this now. It was Renee and Billy's. We'd just been caught up in their lie, victims of their deceit. Things between the two of us could have been incredibly awkward, given the fact that Jacob's affections for me had started to transform into something more amorous. To learn that the girl that he'd been falling in love with was his sister… well, it had to be doing something real bad to his psyche. Despite all of the changes and revelations, our friendship was as strong as ever. We'd pushed all of the bullshit aside and had (willingly or not, in my case) come to lean on each other.

He didn't bother to respond; instead, he simply scanned the grounds warily and nudged his large head against my shoulder.

_We shouldn't be here, Bella. Come on. Let's go._

I shook my head vehemently.

_Bella, we shouldn't be on _their_ land. Not only does it violate the treaty, but she could find you._

_I know._

I didn't move. I _couldn't._ I needed to be here, to be close to them. More importantly, _him. _Plus, I would like to think _they'd_ give me a pass with the whole treaty business.

I wanted to be able to walk up the steps that led to the Cullen's grand, white house like I'd done so many times before and open the door that led inside. Maybe sit at the piano he'd loved so much and let the sound of his music haunt me. It felt like he was so close, so tangible, yet just out of arms reach.

But that was impossible. As much as it hurt to admit, he was never coming back, and I was trapped in this form, seemingly permanently, or at least until Victoria was killed.

I wasn't allowed to change back. Well, to be more accurate, I didn't know how, and none of the others would show me so that I didn't "do something stupid or irrational". It had been decided—without my input—that since my scent was masked while I was in wolf form, I would be much safer staying as a wolf. They figured depriving Victoria of human Bella's scent would confuse and irritate her. They hoped that it might even force her to make a mistake out of frustration, thereby making it easier for them to take her down.

It wasn't as if I hadn't tried to figure it out on my own. I'd paid attention to them as they all shifted. I'd watched as they seemed to explode from within to become something else, whether it be human or wolf, but nothing they said or thought ever truly explained to me how it was done. It was second nature to them; a natural, biological function like breathing and therefore, hidden from me until Sam finally decided to tell me.

I was at his mercy, and I hated it; imprisoned against my will, trapped for what felt like an eternity.

_It's called 'phase', Bella._

_Phase, change. Same difference_, I shot back. _I'm _stuck_ either way._

Jacob huffed at my dramatics. _We've told you a thousand times. You can't phase back until she's been taken out. It's safer for you like this._

_Yeah, yeah, _I pouted_. Because she can't trace my scent this way. I got it, Jake. Or did you miss that part?_

_Then stop being such a baby. You want to live, don't you?_

_Well, yeah, _I conceded.

Of course I wanted to live, but I was miserable. I wanted to take a long, hot shower instead of awkwardly trying to wash my excessively long, brown coat out in the river. I was famished, and even though the entire pack had made it perfectly clear that I'd regain my strength if I'd just suck it up and track down an elk or mule deer to feast on, I refused. Hell, I could barely tolerate sushi, so there was no way I could bring myself to eat raw meat like that. I'd stick to the small pile of berries that would only sate me for a few hours and deal with the gnawing hunger again later. Disparagingly.

Jacob leapt up and raced over to the bank of the portion of the Sol Duc River that wound through the Cullen's property. He splashed around, letting his tongue loll out and somehow, in his wolf form, made some the silliest faces I'd ever seen. I tried desperately not to find it amusing, to stay rooted to my spot while I continued to sulk, but it was no use. A smile worked at my lips as he shoved his snout into the water, sneezing hard when the wake of his movements caused water to get into his nose. Before I knew it, I had dissolved into stitches.

_Stop it Jake_, I gasped. The strange sounds of my giggles in wolf form caught my attention and made it impossibly funnier. _My sides hurt!_

He ignored me, rolling onto his back and wiggling his body against the shore, grunting and groaning with pleasure as the sharp rocks scratched his hide.

He looked _exactly_ like the puppy I'd called him earlier.

I fell over, laughing hysterically at the fact that my half-brother was a _wolf _screwing around on the river bank and knocked my berries out into the water. My laughter was cut off as they rapidly floated down the river, bobbing with the current in the deep, gray water. The good mood I'd so gratefully found myself in immediately vanished and was replaced by misery once again.

A croak of a sob escaped my throat as I watched the only food I had fade into the distance. My stomach tauntingly growled on cue, and I threw my head down on my paws dramatically while letting self-pity wash over me.

_Well, now I guess you _have_ to learn how to hunt,_ Jacob said smugly, coming back toward me and shaking the water out of his fur.

My head snapped up. _You did that on purpose!_

He chortled with laughter. _No, but I couldn't have planned it better if I had._

I bared my teeth menacingly. _It's not funny._

_Sure it is,_ he argued. _Especially since you ate all the berries within a hundred mile radius, and now you're screwed._

I grunted indignantly.

_Your stubbornness is starving the bears indigenous to these woods, Bella, _he deadpanned_. Never mind the fact that you're not doing your part to help control this area's overpopulation of deer now that your bloodsuckers are gone._

At the mere mention of _them_, I felt my entire body lock up and an excruciating pain rocket through me. I knew Jacob had no mal intent with his choice of words, especially since he seemed to immediately realize what he said and began apologizing to me in his head, but they hurt nonetheless.

_Shit, Bella. I'm so sorry. I didn't think-_

Huh, well… that's certainly a contender for understatement of the year. But, to be fair, his admission probably goes even deeper than he meant. This is _Jake _after all; thinking isn't exactly his forte.

_It's fine, Jake. I know you didn't mean it. Let's just um…_ I took in a shuddering breath. _There are really no more berries?_

He laughed, but his eyes were still troubled. _They're gone, Bella. Deal with it and hunt._

_But why can't you guys…? I don't know. Why can't I chase it down and kill it, and then you guys could phaaaase, _I dragged the word out sarcastically_, and cook it for me? You know, like steak._

_Are you serious? _He laughed. _Uh-uh. No way. You may be the only female in the pack, but you're not a baby. You want to eat? You eat like a wolf. No more of this whiny, girly, 'Ew, it's bloody. I'm gonna' to get my paws dirty' crap. I thought you were the big, bad vampire killer; that you didn't want us to treat you differently. This is how _we _eat._

_Oh, come on!_

_Nope. Suck it up, Nancy._

His deep, throaty guffaws at my expense had me itching to attack. I growled in warning, only to be ignored yet again. Deciding that there was only one way to shut him up, I tackled him in one smooth swoop and took him to the ground. His true laughter rang out in my mind as we bucked and fought to break free from one another, rolling down the hill until we both were giddy and breathless.

Just as I went to nip playfully at his tail, we both froze when we heard Sam let loose a deafening howl from miles away. That could only mean one thing. I dropped the shield that was stretched around us, and we were immediately inundated with a cacophony of voices. The pack had worked itself into an incoherent frenzy. Emotions ran high as the sound of paws pounding in the background and overeager thoughts and conversations made it impossible to think or hear clearly. There was no way to form a successful attack against anything like this.

Sam and Paul stumbled upon the scent of two vampires, and it was soon clear that one of them was Victoria. The two groups saw each other simultaneously, which was when Sam howled. Victoria and her compatriot clearly weren't expecting to run into two horse-sized wolves. They crouched defensively, and began backing further into the forest.

_Enough! _The resounding command of the Alpha silenced and focused us immediately. _Jake, I need you here ASAP_. _More help is on the way, but you're closest_, _and I want to end this. We're going to set up a parallel ambush. Approach from the west. We're about to hit them from the east. We'll leave them exposed to you for an attack on their flank. Move it!_

My heart dropped as it finally hit me that this was it. Victoria had found me. All this time spent moping around in my wolf form had been in vain.

_Jake…_

He turned to me and gave me a stony look. _Stay here._

I stiffened and snarled in return. _Let me help. I've killed. You haven't._

_Bella. Stay there_. Sam's alpha command was deeply resonating. I had no choice but to follow his order.

I watched as Jacob sprinted off into the distance. It was me that Victoria was after. I wanted to be the one to face her, not my pack, and certainly not my half-brother.

_Damn it!_

I paced the field, becoming increasingly agitated as I listened to the pack coordinate an ambush against the two vampires. I had to rely on secondhand knowledge, skewed by feelings and opinions and tainted by each member's impatience for battle. Being dominated into uselessness was infuriating. Being the only pack member with a kill under their belt, only to be left out of the fight, was even worse.

The clouds parted, letting the sun cast its rays of light on the field. The vivid greens of the forest and the vibrant colors of the wildflowers quelled my anger. It wasn't often that I got to see Washington this way, unhindered by the filter of cloud cover that was constantly settled over us, so when I did, I tended to take notice. I knew Sam's decision to keep me out of the fight wasn't personal; at least not entirely. The reality was that even though I had only been a pack member for a few days, each of them already thought of me as one of their own. The sole purpose of the pack was to protect the tribe, which included me—the poor, defenseless little girl.

While I understood that they simply wanted to keep me safe, it didn't change the fact that their behavior was entirely chauvinistic and incredibly outdated.

_Hey, I heard that_, Jacob retorted, the dull, galloping sound of his paws as he ran in the background. _And it's not appreciated!_

_Yeah, well, welcome to my world, buddy. A lot of what you guys think and do isn't appreciated._

Getting all that unwelcome insight into a bunch of young males' minds had been nauseating, to say the least. I was even more grateful for my shield that afforded me protection from the utter filth within their minds.

My pacing faltered as something to the north glinted with the sunlight. Startled by what I saw, my shield slammed into force and blocked the pack from seeing me, as if it knew that I would want to keep this sight my own.

I was entranced by the luminous, sparkling figure slowly approaching me. I blinked hard, trying to dispel the hallucination of Edward, in his immortal splendor, but it just wouldn't fade. The thought that this wasn't a dream—that it was actually reality—was too impossible to comprehend, so I simply stood there and waited, when all I wanted to do was run and crash into him and let my lips find their way to his.

The graceful steps that brought him to the riverbank were cautious yet purposeful. His intoxicating scent slammed into me and as always, had my heart sprinting and my head swimming as I drank it in. His lean, muscular body was just as sinful as I'd remembered, causing something so much more potent and primal than human desire to streak through me. I bit back the wanton moan that it caused and studied his face, memorizing every piece of perfection that was the one I loved.

Confusion furrowed his brow as he inhaled the air around us, and I could've howled with frustration. Or maybe I should've just ended my torment by shoving my head into a plastic bag and suffocating myself now that he was here… and _his_ Bella was not, and knowing my luck, that probably wouldn't even work. I'd wanted this for so long, for him to come back to Forks—to me—and to be unable to phase into my human form and show him that I was the _dog_ on the other side of the river was just a cruel, cruel joke.

In a single, lithe movement, Edward bounded over the water, silently landing in front of me. Time blurred as his incredulous, molten honey eyes penetrated mine. That all-consuming electricity that thrummed between us was even more powerful than I'd remembered. His awestruck expression gave me hope. His slow, excited crooked smile brought me joy. At that moment, I forgot everything: the months of heart break, my transformation into a wolf, and the battle that was currently raging not too far from where Edward and I stood.

My breath hitched as he extended an unsteady hand toward me, bringing it up at the last second to mechanically run his hand through his beautifully disheveled bronze hair before reaching out to me again. I took a step forward; the pull of Edward was more persuasive than anything I'd ever felt before. His fingers found purchase in my fur, gently caressing my flank. The shock of his smooth, marble skin gave me chills, and his amber gaze darkly dilated to onyx as he continued to stare at me, which created an entirely new sensation inside me.

Heat flooded through me as everything that made me Isabella Swan was ripped apart at the seams, dismembered and hastily thrown back together to create someone wholly different. My world was upended and then righted again in a blink, irrevocably binding me to the only thing that mattered. The only thing that would_ ever _matter again.

Edward.

* * *

**Edward**

My feet pushed me toward the large, white house in the clearing on our land. It was just a smear of ivory and black in the forest, gone in a blink, and yet I could see everything with perfect clarity. I agilely dodged trees and limbs; I leapt over the streaks of water that were small streams. My predatory nature had the animals and insects of the forest alike scurrying off in fear as they caught my scent or sensed my presence.

Normally, this might have amused me, but today, none of it mattered. I'd already deviated once from my path toward the unknown to hunt, and my thirst was now fully sated. All that mattered was that I follow the urge to run.

My destination had been hazy until this moment. Since I'd arrived in Forks, any plan I'd devised—any intention I'd had—had been lost, long forgotten with a fading scent in the breeze and the pull of the forest. The closer I got to our property, the stronger the pull felt. Something was there, at the house, compelling me forward.

I slowed to a brisk, human pace as I reached the edge of the forest, cautiously stepping out from the cover the trees provided me and into the open, unsure if it was danger that awaited me or something infinitely sweeter. My instincts told me it was the latter, so I quickly scanned the grounds for anything that would give me insight as to _why_ I'd come back here.

A dark brown figure caught my eye. I zeroed in on the animal and noted that it was a wolf. A rather agitated wolf that was stomping around in small circles, snorting and growling in anger. It was _very _large, perhaps two or three times the size of an ordinary wolf, but very fast. I'd only ever come across a similar creature once before – more than a hundred years ago, in this very area. What confused me was, physical similarities aside, this animal was unlike anything else I'd ever encountered.

Speculations flashing through my mind, I stepped further away from the forest just as the clouds parted and the rays of the sun ignited the area into flames of green fire. The wolf stopped its troubled pacing, and its head jerked in my direction as my vampire skin reflected the sunlight, bouncing light around me like a jewel. I stood silent for a moment… watching. Waiting.

The wind shifted and a sudden familiar scent was carried my way. My mind instantly recoiled from the onslaught of memories it brought up and the aching, festering burn in my chest where my dead heart lay still flared painfully. My hand reached up and clawed at my chest as I took another step forward, reeling from the fact that while I still felt a physical reaction to the scent of the human I so truly loved and left, my throat didn't burn with the unbearable, maddening thirst as it once did. The scent certainly called to me, but in a very different way; one I couldn't yet identify.

I carefully strode toward the Sol Duc River. I kept my pace rhythmic and even, not wanting to disturb the animal that was intently staring at me any more than I already had. I wanted to observe it up close while I searched for Bella.

Keeping one eye trained on the wolf, I reached out with my senses. Her scent still lingered in the air, and I could hear the galloping sound of her heart, speeding up with each step that brought me closer to the house like it had every time I'd ever kissed her.

Odd.

I stopped at the edge of the river and inhaled deeply in an attempt to pinpoint her location. My eyes snapped fully to the motionless wolf, confusion clouding my mind. Bella's scent was stronger there, but there was nothing but the wolf. No other beating heart or rush of breath. All had gone quiet, withdrawing to safety. There was no sound but the sprinting heart and racing, shallow breaths I was all too familiar with.

The pieces of the puzzle came together all at once. This was no ordinary animal. This _creature_ was Bella. I knew it with every hardened cell in my body, and in a blink, I jumped the river. I landed directly in front of her, desperate to _see_ if I was right and this really was her, or if months of pain and loss had finally caused my fragile vampire mind to break.

Recognition of those warm, chocolate brown eyes made me rejoice. If I'd had a soul, it would have sung with exultation. My mind hummed with possibilities and wondered about her transformation. Her coat shone with red in the full sun, and my fingers itched to feel its silky texture.

With no reasonable explanation for my uncertainty other than the sheer magnitude of shock that was pummeling through me, I hesitated to touch her. I yanked my hand back and raked it through my hair nervously before finally allowing myself to feel her. Touching her caused my hand to tingle, just as it always had. I wordlessly marveled at the sight of my Bella… phased—I somehow_ knew_ that was the correct term for it—into something_ other_.

Something stirred inside me as I ran my hand over her body. She was so exceptionally _warm_. Venom pooled in my mouth and stiffened me. _Everywhere_. I brought my hand up under her muzzle, trying to force out the words that wouldn't come and beg forgiveness for ever letting anything come between us; for thinking that we were better off apart, that _she_ was better off without _me_ and the world she was never meant to know; and for telling such a blasphemous lie to her.

"Bella," I breathed.

She grew hotter under my touch, radiating heat as the air shimmered around her. A quick flash, an indescribable kind of explosion, and she was standing naked before me. I groaned as I finally saw her completely, shattered by the dusky rose that tipped each full breast and the elegant line of her hip. She was different. She was still the petite human I'd fallen so hard for, and yet somehow incredibly curvier. It was clear that she was no longer the awkward, unsure teenage girl I'd met so many months ago, but was now mature. Grown. You could even see this truth in her face – while she was still _Bella_, it was as if the transformation had aged her in the best way possible. Her features, while still retaining a softness and femininity, were somehow sharper, and they made her look less like a girl, and much more like a woman. Her easy, simple shifts of weight and movements held a grace and poise that she hadn't possessed before. She held an inner strength, a supernatural power inside her, negating any weakness that a human should have.

My eyes dropped and feasted on the tempting flesh at the juncture of her thighs, exciting her.

The scent of her arousal was like a quick punch to the gut, a shot straight to my groin. This need for her, this drive to fill her body with my own, was unfathomable. I could barely control it.

"I'm so sorry," I managed to choke out. She needed to know. To take her, claim her, before the words were spoken was inexcusable.

She shushed me and smiled up at me warmly, taking my face in her hands. Missing her had devoured my every thought and tainted every hour, but somehow, that one smile had been the cure to make it all disappear.

I crashed my mouth down on hers and jerked her body against me, suddenly so desperate to bury myself inside her that I lost all sense of reason. Instinct took over as I kissed her roughly, moaning as I finally got a taste of the mouth I'd longed for all these months alone. For the first time ever, my tongue found hers, and her hot breath washed across my face as she tightened her hold on me, tugging at the hair on the nape of my neck and drawing me impossibly closer. To have this ability to touch her—hold her—and regard her as an equal, without fear, was liberating. Even this small, seemingly insignificant interaction clearly demonstrated to me that the dynamic that once existed between us was totally obsolete.

My hand moved down her body, seeking out the new, exquisite skin that had never been exposed to me before, all while keeping my other hand at her neck, locking our mouths together. I cupped her breast; I skimmed the line of her hip. I splayed my hand out over the round curve of her bottom, down to her thigh, and brought her leg up around my hip, sending her up on her toes. My fingers tightened their hold as she responsively arched her back and pressed her body hard against mine.

In a flash, I'd lain her down in the plush, green grass and was now settled between her thighs. She violently yanked at my shirt until the fabric rendered with her impatience. I was so consumed by her that I hadn't even realized that she'd stripped me bare until we were both naked and tangled together. Desire was hot and heavy in my belly, driving me forward. Her keen moan as I slid myself against her sublimely hot body had me acutely aware that I needed to stop before it went too far too soon.

I summoned every ounce of control I had and fought this insane urge to… _mate_ with her. I propped myself up on top of her so that our bodies were no longer touching so intimately and stared down at her. Her lips were swollen from my kisses, and her breathing came out in sharp gasps. She stared up at me with her dark, wide eyes full of curiosity, and I finally noticed how breathtaking she was pinned beneath me.

She went still and looked away as her cheeks flooded with gorgeous color. She moved to cover herself up, and if I'd been in any other frame of mind, I'd have laughed at the absurdity of her thinking for a single second that she wasn't desirable to me.

I gently captured her wrists and held her arms above her head. "Please don't hide from me. I want to see you. I've missed you so much."

I methodically trailed my mouth over her jaw, working my way to her neck and hovering at the pulse point there. The swishing sound of her blood rapidly pounding through her veins was hypnotic. It was such an amazing experience, and I couldn't help but once again be awed by it. Her blood smelled just as incredible as ever, and I could now truly enjoy the scent without any type of monstrous reaction to it. I skimmed my nose across it and inhaled deeply, moaning as I came undone with the scent of her again.

I wanted to wrap her legs around my waist and just plow straight into her.

_No._

I clenched my teeth together and stopped breathing, determined not to let that recklessness loose again as I tasted her sweet skin. I had to keep this… compulsion of mine reined in, because if not, I was going to hurt her.

Panic suddenly knotted in my chest as I realized that pain for her was inevitable. No matter what, she would feel uncomfortable—at the very least—when we were finally joined.

_Okay, Cullen. Relax. Just focus on readying her body for this._

I focused my attention on her neck again, licking from the hollow at the base of her throat to her ear in one deliberate stroke. I hesitated for a moment, warring with the power of erogenous zones versus my razor sharp teeth cutting too deeply into her delicate flesh, and finally—warily—nipped at her ear. I found that her skin was soft and pliable, but had a supernatural strength to it. Her moan reverberated through me, and I grunted as I pushed past the carnal demand to finish this and moved down to her breasts.

I took one of her nipples into my mouth, smiling against her skin as it pebbled and her gasp filled my ears. I let my hand touch her to gauge _how _ready she was for me and nearly went blind as I was met with something hot and delicious slowly seeping onto my fingers.

Bella's breathless giggle shook her body underneath me.

I lifted my head and cocked my brow. "Am I funny?"

"Where did you just go?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Where did you just go?" she repeated. "If you're having second thoughts-"

"Oh, believe me. I want this," I assured her emphatically. I trailed my index finger across her nipple as I worked my way down again, enjoying the soft moan that she emitted when I circled her clit.

"Really?" she asked, chewing on her lip. "Oh, God."

"Yes, really," I replied darkly. Watching her writhe underneath me was so delectably hot.

"But-"

I needed her to understand that I was only concerned for her safety and comfort, so I cut off her question. "I don't want to hurt you," I said seriously. "So I needed to pull it back a little before I did."

She accepted that answer with a nod, and I brought my mouth back to hers and felt that drumming animalistic need overpower me again. It was a constant battle of wills as I skillfully used my fingers to make her climax, but I was determined to wait it out until she was pliant and completely ready for me.

She was flushed and panting as she came again. "No more, Edward. Please," she begged through gritted teeth.

I sat back and spread her legs open, savoring the way she looked as she waited for me. She was so beautiful, so lovely.

She reached out shyly to stroke me, and I gently swatted her hand away, pretty sure that if I caught sight of her tiny hand wrapped around the one part of my body that no one—other than me—had touched before, I wouldn't be able to control myself.

"I love you," I whispered, staring down at her.

Her gazed softened. "I love you."

Languorously, I sank into her, studying her face for any sign of discomfort and only finding her jaw slacken as I was finally all the way inside her.

I reveled in feeling complete. I was home.

"Are you okay?" I managed.

She nodded vigorously. "I'm good. It's good," she breathed.

I held my entire body still, making sure she was completely adjusted to me inside her before I started moving again. Her pelvis tilted up, testing, and I carefully pulled my hips away from hers before pushing myself back into her again.

Her body burned with uncontrollable warmth around me; her eyes blazed into mine. I slowly sped up my motions as her reactions steadily grew with every thrust, kiss and caress. A shaky groan fell from my lips as our passion fed off of one another, swiftly growing to feel as if it had a life of its own.

I was all too willing to let it swallow me whole.

I fisted my hand in her hair and claimed her mouth while I claimed her body. I grabbed her hip, her ass; pounding myself into her over and over—worshiping her—and watching each thrust bring her closer to another orgasm. She was mine.

For always. I drove into her and felt her muscles begin to tighten around me. Her legs squeezed my waist and her back arched off the damp ground.

God, I wanted her to come again.

She cried out and clenched down on me, and I came with her, stifling the urge to scream out with its force. Her body was sated, and she looked so sleepy, so I quickly rolled off of her and took her in my arms, remembering all those times I'd done this exact thing without ever truly letting myself enjoy it because I'd always held a piece of me back from her.

Her breathing evened out as she relaxed into me and was nearly asleep when she suddenly sat up and stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"I just imprinted on you!"

"You what?"

Just then, I picked up on the sound of a group of wolves making their way towards us. It was immediately clear that these were shifters from the Quileute tribe. I could hear them speaking to each other through their minds about the vampire they just killed. They were all still riding the high of victory in battle. As they drew closer, the unmistakable stench of werewolves followed. If I had any doubts before, it was now clear that Bella was a member of the Quileute pack.

I stood up, bringing Bella with me, and had my light blue shirt unbuttoned and draped over her shoulders before she could blink. I held her against me, shielding her as I let myself bounce from mind to mind, trying to decipher what they were and what that meant for Bella and me.

I tensed and held on to Bella even tighter as I saw Victoria's face flash through one of their minds.

They stopped short as they saw me with a half-naked, clearly rumpled Bella. The oldest, the leader—Sam, I deduced—stepped forward with a snarl. He phased so that he could speak to Bella and the wolves behind him readied themselves to attack.

I took a moment to examine the wolves. These creatures were much more like the wolves we encountered all those years ago. In their wolf forms, they were substantially larger than Bella. They also smelled like 'normal' werewolves – i.e. _awful_. Their stench was a stark contrast to Bella's glorious scent. Even in human form, Sam smelled revolting.

"Get back, Bella," Sam demanded.

"No!"

A growl burst from his chest, and he began to shake. "Bella. Get. Back. Now."

"Don't do this, Sam!" Bella begged, clinging to me. "I imprinted on him!"

Sam's eyes snapped to Bella, full of contempt and doubt. "No."

She nodded sheepishly, and the entire group burst into a chorus of uproar.

"Quiet!" Sam shouted, calming everyone down. "If Bella's imprinted on this… vampire… we have to accept him. You know what it would do to her—us—if we were to destroy him."

I listened to their minds as images, feelings, and explanations of what "imprinting" meant floated through the thoughts of the wolves. I smiled down at Bella warmly as I finally understood what she'd been so surprised by.

"So that's what that was."

She blushed. "Yeah. It's… I mean… You can't help it, so-"

I bent to kiss her. "Imprinting with you means you're mine forever. And I can't think of anything better, love."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone for their interest and reviews for this fic so far!**

**This chapter is basically a chapter full of information. There were a lot of questions asked about the situation as a whole last chapter, and hopefully, this will answer some of them. **

**So my very own Peter Parker (aka Stratan) was sick in the middle of writing all of this, and instead of staying in bed and sleeping off whatever stomach bug he picked up, he hung out with me and helped out with the chapter. Everyone should review and tell him how much they appreciate his superhero-ness. The man is awesome.**

**You want teasers? Links are posted on my Twitter... (at)JennyB0719. **

* * *

Chapter 2

**Bella**

I blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend Edward's statement as his lips moved away from mine. His words—every one of them from the moment he'd said that he'd missed me—rang true. But with the rush of our imprint wearing off, I couldn't help but wonder: how many of his words were some freaky side effect of our imprint and how many of them were because of… me?

He'd left me, claimed he no longer loved me. Months of questioning his departure, and now his return, were causing me to doubt it all. I wanted to believe that he'd never stopped loving me, that everything had been a lie, and that spending the rest of eternity with me was his idea of paradise, but I couldn't.

I only knew what I was thinking and feeling. His touch, his presence soothed me; our imprint healed me. But I didn't know how he felt about all of this. For all I knew, he had a life somewhere without me, and the imprint was forcing him to stay.

I couldn't live with him staying here simply because I had taken away his free will. No matter how miserable I'd be when he left again.

An anxious look crossed Edward's face as he gazed down at me. "Are you okay?"

"You left me," I whispered.

"I know," he groaned, tightening his hold on me. "And I'll never do it again."

I wanted to argue, and try to figure out why he'd left in the first place and what he'd been doing all this time, but with the pack all phasing back to human form beside us, it was impossible.

It had to wait.

"I need to contact the elders," Sam interjected. "Find out where they want to go from here."

In a move so fast I almost didn't see it, Edward bent down to where his pants lay pooled on the ground and then held out his cell phone to Sam. "Would this help?"

"It would," Sam acknowledged. "Thank you."

Edward's lips twitched with a smile at some unspoken thought of Sam's. "Of course," he replied.

He bent down to retrieve the rest of his clothes, handing me his boxers so that I had something other than his half-destroyed shirt covering me up.

I smirked down at the huge, gaping hole at the side of the button up after I'd slipped on his boxers. I'd obviously gotten a little carried away.

Edward saw the look on my face and chuckled. "What are you over there thinking about?"

I immediately blushed. "Nothing."

"It's something."

The blush on my cheeks deepened. "I was just noticing how… carried away I got."

He shook his head and flashed a crooked grin as he pulled me to him. "I can't wait to do that again," he whispered in my ear.

My eyes darted up from the blade of grass that had become so interesting in all of this. "Yeah?"

"My God, yes."

I giggled and watched Sam come back over to hand Edward his phone. "The elders want to meet. You've been invited."

"You're fucking joking!" Paul shouted from behind us. "They invited the bloodsucker? What about the treaty?"

Sam laughed once. "I think the treaty's dead, Paul. We're currently standing in Cullen territory, and Edward's not made an attempt to remove us-"

Paul rolled his eyes as he cut him off. "Whatever, we'll take ourselves back to Quileute land and not come back. The leech can stay here. All are happy. The end."

Sam exhaled sharply. "He's her imprint, you idiot. Nothing you say or do is going to change that. You don't have to like it, but you _do_ have to accept it." Sam turned his attention to everyone else. "Council meeting in thirty minutes. Let's move."

The entire pack phased and took off into the woods, leaving me behind with Edward.

"Well?" Edward prompted.

"I…" I knew how to phase now; I just wasn't sure how Edward would react. And I'd just gotten dressed. "You don't think it's weird?"

"Do you think I'm weird?" he countered.

"Point. Okay, I have to get undressed again. Or shred the shirt further."

Without hesitation, Edward simply mumbled "yes, please" and began helping me take the shirt off.

This was clearly not the same Edward who was afraid to even kiss me. When he noticed my amused expression, he smirked and unapologetically shrugged.

Once divested of the shirt and boxers, I took a moment to focus. The air shimmered around me, and in an instant, I was standing on all fours peering over at Edward.

"Incredible," he said in awe.

I didn't know about that… but at least he wasn't revolted by having a hairy… well, I wasn't exactly sure _what _I was to him yet.

We took off at a sprint into the woods, and I found that I could easily keep up with Edward's swift pace. He glanced over and laughed as he sped up and left me behind. I doubled my efforts and managed to keep him from lengthening the distance between us, but there was no way I was quick enough to catch up or pass him.

And I was perfectly content with that.

We got to the edge of the woods and stopped just as Jacob stepped forward with the set of clothes I'd happened to have in my truck. I nodded my thanks and took the clothes out of his hands with my teeth and waited for Jacob to leave before I phased back.

He gave Edward a look of warning and then turned back the way he came. My shield was up, but I assumed Jake also issued a mental warning to go along with the glare. I wanted to slap him upside the head for acting so ridiculous, but I knew that the protectiveness he felt over me ran deep, and those feelings couldn't just be turned off.

"He doesn't like me," Edward murmured as I got dressed. "And not only because I'm a vampire."

I shrugged. "He's just being the overly-protective brother. He'll get used to it."

"That is so strange. I was pretty blown away when I heard him thinking about it earlier. I never would have guessed."

"Well, that makes two of us."

"I've obviously heard Jacob and the other guys thinking about it, but do you mind explaining how you're Billy's daughter?"

I couldn't help but tease him here. "Really, Edward? You need me to explain the process? Don't you have two medical degrees? Didn't we _just_ have sex?"

He gave me a look and laughed. "Nice try. No stalling or changing the subject. And by the way, we didn't _have sex_, we _made love_."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't deny the surge of happiness I felt at his rewording. I also couldn't argue that I had been stalling. "Well, I don't know too many details, thank god, but apparently, before Charlie and Renee were married, Billy and Renee had a… _fling_. I was the result."

Edward looked a bit horrified, but unsurprised. "Okay, that's what I figured. It's still unbelievable. Charlie and Billy have been best friends all of their lives. How could Billy have done that to him, much less kept it a secret all these years?"

I shook my head at this, because I'd been asking myself these very same questions since learning the truth. "I have no idea. Charlie will be crushed by this. I can't even imagine. Renee was the love of his life, and Billy is like a brother to him. I don't know how he'll recover."

"I'm so sorry, I can't imagine how hard this has been for you, and how hard it'll be for Charlie. We'll get through this together."

"Just having you back here has made it so much easier to deal with."

Edward smiled at this, and then unexpectedly laughed. "Well, one good thing that came out of all of this is that I have to say that it's nice to know Jacob's your brother. All those thoughts about how beautiful he thought you were before… It's just one less person competing for your affections."

"Shut up." I went to playfully punch his chest—which was probably a mistake given how hard his body was—only for him to dodge my hand.

I sighed. "And I still can't keep up with you as a human."

He blurred and was suddenly nuzzling into my neck. "I like you like this. You're soft and warm. Your heart beats, yet you're no longer as fragile as before and still you're immortal—that's the very best part of this. It's almost as if you're too good to be true."

I bit back the urge to scoff and gave him a quick kiss before I turned toward the reservation. "Come on, Romeo. We've got a tribal council waiting for us."

He was at my side in an instant and took my hand as we walked towards Billy's little red house of where everyone was gathered. The residents we passed gave us both strange looks and gaped, and I couldn't tell if it was because of me or Edward.

"They're not sure what to make of me," Edward said lowly. "Some of their thoughts are actually pretty entertaining."

"They don't know what you are, do they?" I asked, thinking of the legend Jake had told me about when I first moved to Forks.

He glanced around, concentrating on the people we passed. "No. None of them have made that connection yet."

Good.

When we finally stepped up to the house, I noticed Billy was sitting at the door, waiting for us. It was the first time I'd seen him since I'd phased, and I was no less angry now than I had been when I first learned the truth. I had no frame of reference the first time I'd phased and had been scared out of my mind thanks to his little indiscretion with my mother.

Anger didn't really describe the feelings raging inside me.

My steps faltered when he opened the door to welcome us, causing Edward to look in my direction curiously, but I quickly righted myself and pushed on. I needed to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Bella," Billy greeted politely. "Edward."

"Billy," I said tersely, breezing past him and into the tiny living room, leaving Edward to muddle through pleasantries on his own.

I scanned the room for a place to stand, only to find a place big enough for Edward and me to squeeze into next to Paul. That wasn't fucking happening anytime soon, so I just stood where I was and waited for Edward to join.

Billy rolled up next to Edward and called the meeting to order. He commanded everyone's attention as he began the formalities of the meeting. I had to fight the urge not to gawk at his sudden shift in demeanor, regardless of how furious I was with him at the moment. His voice was incredibly captivating, and the way he looked at everyone seemed so regal. It really felt like we were in the presence of royalty, and in some ways, I suppose we were. His blood was that of Ephraim Black's, the last true Quileute chief.

And then it hit me that Jake and I were as well.

Shit.

While it was common knowledge among the assembled group that I was a member of the pack, and thus a member of the tribe, Billy took this opportunity formally to introduce me to the council as his daughter. At this, I turned bright red—both from embarrassment and anger.

I was utterly humiliated. Even though everyone in the room knew this dirty little secret—and I'm sure some knew more about it than I did—I felt totally exposed, naked even.

Once things settled down after Billy's introductions, he announced that the meeting was caused due to the fact that it was likely that I had imprinted on Edward.

As it was to be expected, this caused quite the commotion in the council. While I obviously wasn't surprised by this piece of news, I couldn't help but take issue with his wording.

"Now wait just a minute," I protested. "Likely? What the hell do you mean by that? I've heard enough love-struck thoughts from the other imprinted members of the pack to know what it is by now."

Billy cleared his throat. "Well, we'd like to verify that you did, in fact, imprint on one of the Cullens. We're not saying you didn't. We'd just like you to explain everything. Please," he added after a brief pause. "This is all very new to us. As you know, we've never had a female wolf, never mind a pack member who imprinted on a vampire. It's hard to believe. It goes against everything we've been taught, Bella."

I glanced up at Edward and took in a steadying breath with his encouraging smile. "Okay. Well, I don't know exactly how to describe it. I was… drawn to him. More so than before. And when I phased back, it was like everything that made me who I am was disregarded. Tossed aside. Now I'm left feeling bound to him like never before. I've loved Edward since the day I first met him, but that love _pales_ in comparison to how I feel now. I mean, I'm in a room full of people and the only person I keep focusing on is him. He looks at me, and I just melt at his feet."

God, I sounded like an idiot.

Billy nodded.

"Excuse me," Edward interrupted. "But I'd like to know what imprinting is exactly. I understand what Bella meant by how she feels, and I have a basic understanding of the phenomenon based on what I've seen in the thoughts of all of you, but I'd like a more specific explanation. I don't understand the hows or whys of it."

"Imprinting is our kind's way of ensuring the survival of the species. As Bella said, those that carry the wolf gene are instinctively drawn to the person that we can produce the strongest wolves genetically possible with," Billy explained.

Edward looked confused. "But I can't give her that."

"You know this for sure?" Billy asked.

Edward glanced over at me sadly. "Physiologically speaking, my body no longer functions as living, breathing human. My heart no longer beats, and I no longer have the need for air. So how could I?"

Billy's face crumpled as he thought it over.

"Furthermore," Edward continued. "If Bella's the first female of your kind, how do we know she could even conceive?"

"We don't," he agreed.

"So I'm assuming imprinting is needed to pass down the gene that allows future generations to phase, and that you personally have imprinted on two different humans since you've produced wolves from each of them?" Edward asked Billy.

"You can't imprint if you've never phased, dipshit. You don't see everyone in the tribe imprinting left and right," Paul sneered.

Billy seemed to ignore Paul's remark and remained focused on Edward. "While I can understand your logic, Edward, that's not entirely true. In order to produce a wolf, one of the partners simply must carry the wolf gene. Those of us that can trace our Quileute lineage back to the very beginning of the tribe all carry the gene."

Edward nodded his understanding and urged Billy to continue.

"The gene activates in the presence of a threat to the tribe—Cold Ones. As Paul so eloquently explained, when a Quileute phases, he—or in the case of Bella, she—can imprint. Our legends claim that the offspring of an imprinted couple is an incredibly powerful wolf. They're essentially supposed to be genetically superior—faster and stronger, for example. We are in the presence of just such a wolf… Bella."

Everyone in the room was stunned, but none more so than me. This information didn't seem to fully compute.

"Hang on, am I to understand that I'm the product of an imprinted relationship?"

"Yes, Bella. I imprinted on your mother the winter before you were born."

The entire room went silent and it was as if all of the air had been sucked out of the room. The sheer implications of that statement seemed to shock everyone into stillness.

I couldn't speak so I just made a gesture for Billy to continue. "Early that fall, there had been a string of unexplained disappearance along the coast of northern Oregon. We didn't think anything of it as that's still pretty far away. By late November, there were news reports of campers and hikers going missing in Washington. Search parties were called, but when no one was found, they incidents were written off as animal attacks. It was right around mid December that I got sick. It was the worst I had ever felt. At first, I figured I had eaten something bad, but after a few days, it became clear that something else was going on. The fever and the pain finally broke, but I suddenly found myself on four legs. Fortunately, Quil Sr. had heard what was going on and was able to help me understand it. Within days of my first phase the bloodsu—err, vampire—made its way on to our territory. It was a fast but brutal fight. He clearly wasn't expecting any threat, so he was stunned when I pounced on him."

The pack members were shocked, but the tribal council members seemed unsurprised.

I opened my mouth a couple times to speak, only for no sound to come out. Finally, I shook my head and tried again. "How did you imprint on my mother?" I managed.

"I came home that night and found Renee waiting for me on the front step. When it became clear that the vampire was coming our way and that I'd have to face him, I sent my wife and the twins up to the Makah reservation to visit a relative for a few days, so there was no one home to let your mom in. Charlie had told her I hadn't been feeling well, and being your mother, she wanted to make sure I was okay." He chuckled with the memory. "She'd made me this awful batch of chicken noodle soup, thinking I was actually sick.

"The moment I got next to her, I couldn't resist touching her. I knew the stories of wolves imprinting, but I didn't know exactly what it meant until that night. The second my skin met hers, everything I was… fell apart. I still loved my wife, my children, but at that moment, there was someone else that my life was centered around; someone I couldn't seem to stay away from. We were like two magnets that were drawn to each other. Before we knew it…"

"Does Renee know about you? About imprinting?" I asked.

"She does," he replied. "I woke up the next morning to her hysterical sobs as she searched the room for her clothes. I remember thinking that I couldn't let her leave assuming I did this with whomever I wanted or that this was just some casual encounter, and I didn't want her to blame herself. But more than that, I just couldn't let her _leave_. And so I told her everything. Our legends, the bond we had. I had to make her see that there was no blame, that it hadn't been a willing betrayal for either of us.

"You know, she thought I was a lunatic. I had to drag her out into the woods, half naked, and phase in front of her just to get her to truly listen to me. After the initial shock wore off and she let herself see everything that had happened the night before in a different light, she understood. She accepted it, but it wasn't enough to leave your father. Not right away, anyway."

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

He glanced over at Sam for a moment before looking back at me. "I loved my wife, but I loved your mother more. I wanted to be with her. I begged and pleaded. I did everything I could think of to try to convince her to be with me, but she wouldn't hear it. I had a family; she had Charlie. And when she found out she was pregnant, she convinced herself that you were Charlie's and married him."

"But you knew."

"No, Bella. I wondered until the day you were born. Then I saw you, and I knew I'd lost her. You didn't look like you had a trace of Quileute blood in you, and Charlie was so proud. I had to let her go."

He looked absolutely defeated as he continued. "I stopped phasing and embraced the life I had with my wife. I thought of your mother constantly, though. And apparently, your mother thought of me, too. So much so, that she left Forks—Charlie—to try to escape the guilt."

To say I was shell-shocked after Billy's revelation would be an understatement. My emotions were all over the place. Having experienced what it's like to imprint, I couldn't help but feel sense of empathy for Billy. He was thrown into an impossible situation. In many ways, Billy and Renee were victims.

"Billy?" I asked, chewing down on my lip. "Did you eat the soup?" I didn't know why it was so important, but it was.

His black eyes burned into mine. "Every drop."

* * *

**Edward**

My cell phone started to ring, and I had it out of my pocket and up to my ear before anyone else could hear it.

"Hi, Carlisle," I greeted.

"Edward." He exhaled with relief. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I answered with a smile.

"Alice can't see you. She's got the entire family worried. We all came back to Forks as quickly as we could. We didn't… We didn't know what had happened."

Interesting. The wolves' presence interfered with Alice's visions.

"Well…" I debated on how to tell him where I was and finally opted to be blunt. "She can't see me because I'm down on the Quileute Reservation."

"You're what?" he asked in shock. "Jesus, Edward. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes! I told you, everything is fine. In fact, hang on one second."

I held the phone down, even though it was for nothing more than just appearances; Carlisle would be able to hear everything I said.

"With your permission, I would like my father, Carlisle, to come here and join this conversation."

The tribal council murmured their debate.

"He could be useful in answering any more questions you all might have. And since he was the one who originally established the treaty with you all…"

Billy nodded. "He should be here."

I put the phone back to my ear. "I'll be there in just a few minutes," he said.

"We're at Billy Black's house. You know where it is?"

"I do." He paused. "Edward, who's _we_?"

"I'm here with Bella."

I knew he was smiling. "Good."

I hung up the phone and put back in my pocket while I told everyone that Carlisle would be here shortly.

"How long is 'shortly' to a vampire?" Bella asked, referring to the time it would take Carlisle to get here.

"Just a few minutes. He's at the house."

She jerked her head back. "He's at the house?"

I nodded. "Apparently, Alice can't see the wolves or anything that involves them. She saw me hurrying back to Forks and was watching me. When I disappeared, she got scared and alerted the family. They're all back."

A little line formed between her brows. "Oh."

I gave her a quick kiss, ignoring Paul's low grumble of disapproval. "I'm going to wait for him outside. I'll be right back."

I moved through the house and back out the front door, silently shutting it behind me. I walked over to the edge of the property and scanned the woods ahead, listening for any sign of Carlisle and wondering how exactly Bella had phased that first time. It was still something that hadn't been answered yet. I'd searched the minds of the other wolves inside, hoping for some kind of clue, but could only note that all their first phases had been identical to Billy's. They each thought they had picked up some sort of virus since they were excessively tired and feverish. Some even exhibited symptoms of the stomach flu.

But something told me Bella's first phase hadn't gone as expected. After all, nothing about Bella—from her genealogy to imprinting on a vampire—had been the so-called norm.

I could hear someone walking toward the door and listened to see who it was.

_Jacob._

I turned and watched as he strode over to me, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at me when he was finally standing beside me. I listened to his mind and answered his unspoken question.

"I won't leave her, Jacob" I said softly. "Not ever again. I can't."

His eyes widened before he scowled. "Stay out of my head."

"All right."

We stood in stony silence for a minute or so, staring out into the woods, before I finally spoke again. "Do you think Bella's honestly doing okay with all of this?"

"Better than most of us."

I looked over at him. "And you? You're not… angry? Resentful?"

He shrugged. "Most people would be furious. But given the situation, and the fact that I've seen what imprinting looks like through the pack's minds, I can't blame them."

"Makes sense," I murmured. I imagined since Bella had experienced it firsthand, she felt compassion for them instead of anger.

"I think Bella's handling all of this extremely well, given the circumstances. You should give her a little more credit, Cullen."

I went to defend myself, but a flicker of a memory of Jacob's caught my attention. "Bella killed a vampire?" I asked in astonishment. I probed into his mind further. "Laurent?"

Jacob growled. "I told you to stay out of my head."

"I'm…" Well, I wasn't sorry, so I didn't bother to finish my sentence. "Tell me everything, Jacob."

He shifted uncomfortably. "I think Bella should be the one to tell you."

He involuntarily thought about it again and this time, it was clear. I gasped as I saw everything that had happened to Bella that day. I ran the scene through my mind over and over again, focusing on different aspects, details, each pass.

She'd looked beautiful that day. Exactly like the slip of a girl I'd left behind. Her hair whipped in the winds that circled through the thinning trees as she reached higher altitudes. She wore a smile on her face, but her eyes were sad, pained. Because of me.

Jacob's emotions and memories were mixed with Bella's own thoughts; he'd been enamored with her and was excited to spend a weekend with her camping on Mount Rainier. But Bella was using Jacob as a soothing balm. He helped her forget the pain that she lived with, the pain that mirrored my own.

What was the purpose of the trip? Bella didn't hike for obvious reasons.

I studied the image for the answer and saw that she'd gone with the other seniors on a class trip, and Jacob was intending to meet her there at the trailhead.

But he was running late, so she'd started up the trail with Angela. She tripped and fell—naturally—and laughed through the pain of her ankle. She told Angela to go ahead and walk with Ben; she'd only be a few feet back. But then she abruptly got sick.

I felt it all; the nausea, the sudden heat. She lagged behind the class far enough that they could no longer be seen through the thick of the woods and the curve of the trail. There was enough distance between them that Laurent used the opportunity to approach her.

At first, through the fog, Bella was confused and friendly. Laurent had protected himself from a battle with us by traveling to Denali and embracing our lifestyle, but his eyes spoke otherwise. The moment she recognized his blood red eyes for what they were, fear gripped her.

A low growl built in my chest as I witnessed him threatening her.

"_Victoria sent me here, you know. She wants you dead. I was sent to see if your precious Cullens were still protecting you. But they're nowhere to be found. Tell me, did they leave you? Their little pet?" he asked, watching her carefully._

_Bella stuttered from the change burning her body. "N-No. They're here." She ground her teeth through the next part. "Edward's on his way."_

_He must have assumed she stuttered out of fear and duplicity. He clucked his tongue. "Lie." _

_Bella shook her head violently._

_He laughed at her discomfort. "She plans to kill you. Slowly. Painfully," he said sadistically, inhaling the air deeply. "But you're much too appetizing for that. So I suppose you're in luck, little Swan. I'll make it quick and… relatively painless."_

Laurent crouched slightly and smiled cruelly as he started to circle her. Bella's body shook as the unbearable heat overtook her. The moment Laurent went to attack, Bella's body phased.

I doubled over as I felt the agony shred through her body. Like a ticking time bomb, her body exploded from within. The crackling sounds of her bones breaking and reshaping themselves echoed; her muscles elongated and flexed with what she deemed to be an impossible strength. The clothes she'd worn had been ripped into pieces as she instantaneously changed forms and floated down like snowflakes out of the sky.

Her sight sharpened, and she immediately moved into a defensive stance as Laurent's eyes widened in terror, matching Bella's own wild thoughts. She could hear Jacob racing up the trail behind them, but her focus was on Laurent. The moment he took a step back, she attacked. Much like a vampire, there had been no conscious effort to the movement. She thought, and her body reacted.

Jacob froze in horror for a moment before phasing so that he could help Bella. But Bella was not in need of physical assistance; she'd already used her teeth to destroy the shell-shocked vampire. She'd out-maneuvered him strategically, pouncing on him when he was still reeling from the shock of seeing her phase.

She needed help mentally. Her mind screamed in terror and her body stiffened with the realization of what she'd just done. She trembled as she saw the russet-colored wolf approaching her, and when she heard Jacob's voice in her mind, she circled her new form around to find him, only to see that she was alone. She went to let out a blood-curdling scream, only to hear a distressed howl come from her throat…

"Edward!" Jacob yelled, yanking me from the memory. "God, man! Are you all right?"

I gave myself a moment to get my bearings and then stood up. "I'm fine."

"You sure? Because Dr. Cullen's here."

Carlisle stepped out of the woods and walked toward me. Clasping my shoulder, he smiled warmly. "It's good to see you, Edward."

_You look happy._

I smiled back. I'd genuinely missed him while I was gone. "I am."

_And Bella? How is she?_

"She's well. Different."

_How so?_

"She's recently learned she's Quileute. She recently phased."

Carlisle's mind was wordless shock, so I continued.

"We… imprinted. And I wasn't here-"

"Don't," Carlisle admonished. "She needs you to be strong for her now."

I nodded mutely.

_Edward, what exactly does 'imprinted' mean? _

"It's the wolves' version of mates. It's why I asked you to come down here. It changes everything."

His mind whirled with interest. He wanted to know about how Bella came to be part of the Quileute tribe, what exactly was entailed with imprinting, and how it would affect our family, but most importantly, he wanted to know what physiological changes had occurred from her phase. He'd spent almost his entire immortal life—over three hundred years—studying our kind and humans, and had nearly exhausted all research available to him at this time. Bella was like a shiny new toy dangling in front of him.

I chuckled. "Slow down, Carlisle. You have the rest of eternity to study her."

He blinked in shock. "She's immortal?"

I nodded and fought with a grin as he thought of all the possibilities.

_Alice always told you she was your mate._

"I know." I'd just been too stubborn to accept it.

"Okay, enough with the creepy telepathic conversation. We have a meeting to attend," Jacob interrupted.

We all went back into the house where everyone was talking amongst themselves. With the exception of Bella. She stood at the side of the group alone, clearly lost in her own thoughts as she processed everything she'd been told tonight.

At vampire speed, I crossed the room and pulled her against me, reveling in the warmth of her neck.

"What are you doing?" she giggled.

"It's been so long since I could touch you." I drew a pattern with my tongue down to her collarbone. "Taste you. I just wanted to do it again."

"That feels really good," she whispered.

I kissed her jaw once more before stepping back. "I saw how you phased. How you handled Laurent."

"You what?_ How_?" she asked as a blush tinged her cheeks.

"Jacob thought about it while we were outside. You were absolutely amazing," I said with a hint of the pride I felt. "So fluid. Lethal."

"I didn't mean to," she objected. "It just happened."

"I know, but that does nothing to change the fact that you are…" I struggled with a way to describe it. "A force to be reckoned with. Your creation makes you one of the strongest wolves they've ever known."

"It's weird, isn't it?" she asked shyly. "I went from barely being able to function to… this."

I stepped aside and let Carlisle greet Bella, thinking of how much I wanted to tell her that her change was fitting. She'd always accepted my world with such ease. Her not reacting like a normal human to me and my family, i.e. with instinctual fear and confusion, now made a world of sense—she was never a normal human.

She'd shown signs of a latent preternatural power before her first phase that now was a dominating and strong trait. I thought I'd known what she'd needed; that if I left—along with my family—I could save her from the supernatural. I wanted her to be an ordinary human, when it was so clear that she was always anything but ordinary. I'd just been too blind, too stubborn, to see it.

She was always destined to be with me.

My reasons for leaving all seemed ridiculous now. Leaving had simply caused a series of events to take place that sped up the process. It did nothing but potentially destroy the relationship I had with her and make us both indescribably miserable.

It was a decision that I'd regret for the rest of my days.

But the knowledge of Bella's first phase brought up an interesting question. "Carlisle, why would Bella have shifted when faced with the danger of Laurent's attack but not James'?"

"What are you saying?" Bella asked me.

"You phased to protect yourself against Laurent's attack. Why didn't you do the same last year in Phoenix?" I clarified.

Carlisle furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "What are the differences between the two… attacks?"

"Time," I said immediately. "She was in mortal danger in both situations. The only difference between the two was her age."

"What was your first phase like, Bella?"

"Painful," she replied with a grimace.

"Is that normal?"

"No. It took everyone else days to phase for the first time, and in the time leading up to it, they all hit a _major_ growth spurt. I was thrown into this in a matter of seconds."

"Well, then, perhaps it was because you weren't physically mature enough to handle the change in Phoenix," he said to Bella. "Your body was under enormous strain during that time and you were still growing and developing. If the other wolves' bodies had weeks to prepare themselves for the change, between their abnormal physical development and the first phase itself, it could be said that had your first phase occurred a year ago in Phoenix, it would have been disastrous for you."

Bella blinked once as she processed his meaning. "Ohhhh."

"It can also be said that this would have happened to you, regardless of whether Laurent came for you or not," he continued. "It just wouldn't have hurt."

"But I still would have been scared out of my mind," she lamented.

"Since no one knew of your connection with the tribe, no one would have thought to warn you. It would have just been assumed that you hit a growth spurt and then had a virus while were preparing your first phase." He gave her a compassionate look. "I'm sorry."

Billy cleared his throat, signaling that the meeting had resumed. Words died as we all turned our attention to him again. I glanced around and noticed that one of the pack members, Quil, was missing. After probing a little deeper, I learned that he'd left to check on his grandfather, Quil Sr. Quil Sr. was an integral part of the tribal council but had been unable to attend due to… fatigue?

Did I understand that correctly?

"Now that Dr. Cullen is here, we can discuss our line of attack against Victoria."

"Wait, Victoria wasn't killed?" Bella asked.

Sam shook his head. "She got away. Paul and I attacked the two vamps, but she evaded me. I started to chase after her, but the man caught Paul's leg. So I sent Jacob, Embry, and Jared out to cut her off while I helped Paul take care of the man, but she made it to the water before anyone could catch her."

"Damn," she whispered.

Billy continued. "We need ready ourselves for when she returns. I think if we work together, she won't be able to get away again." Billy glanced over at Carlisle. "I assume that you are in agreement that with Bella and Edward's imprint, the treaty is now void?"

"Of course," Carlisle answered immediately. "Bella is family."

"Then the boundary lines no longer exist. We'll need a constant watch of the perimeter, so we'll need to assign shifts to everyone. Bella will also still need to be guarded at all times-"

"That's not necessary," I interrupted. "I won't be letting her out of my sight."

Billy smiled. "All right."

"Edward," Bella whispered while Billy spoke again. "You have to hunt."

"You'll hunt with me," I replied. "Think of it as a learning experience. For both of us."

Her nose scrunched up with disgust. "No, I don't want to."

"Please? I thought you always wanted to watch me hunt," I said with a convincing smile. "Now you can."

"I did say that, didn't I?"

"You did."

"Hmm. Fine. I'll hunt with you."

I grinned in triumph.

"Wipe it off your face, Cullen," she snarked.

I let my lips twitch one last time before rearranging my features so that I looked like I was listening solely to what Billy was saying. "Off."

Carlisle had assured Billy that we were not a threat to the tribe or any human, for that matter. He went on to explain that we would very much like to be involved in a permanent partnership with tribe and the pack that extended well beyond defeating Victoria. Billy was very excited about the prospect of having a solid, positive relationship with us. It was clear that he understood the connection that I, and by extension, the rest of the Cullens, felt towards Bella, and that was coloring his view of us. His nature and upbringing still had him feeling some doubts, but he was beginning to see that we really were what we claimed to be.

Just then, Quil came rushing back into the room and took his place next to Embry again. The kid's mind was full of worry for his grandfather, not paying a bit of attention to Billy or Sam's instructions and focusing on the way Quil Sr.'s speech seemed to slur a little when he'd gone to check on him. Given his age, I thought it was best to bring attention to the situation.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Billy," I said as I concentrated on Quil's thoughts, "but I couldn't help overhearing the overwhelming concern about his grandfather in Quil's thoughts. Is he okay?"

Billy glanced over at Quil. "How's he doing?"

Quil shook his head. "I don't know. He's… acting strange."

Carlisle took a step forward. "I could go examine him. If you'd like."

_What are you getting, Edward?_

"He hit his head a few days ago and has been complaining of exhaustion ever since. Quil noticed his speech sounded 'funny' just a minute ago," I murmured back quickly.

Billy debated it for a few seconds, but couldn't argue against the benefits: Carlisle _was_ a very highly regarded doctor, and this would be an opportunity for both sides to extend the proverbial olive branch. "I see no problem with it. Is that all right with you, Quil?"

"Yeah, could you?" Quil asked, shifting on his feet anxiously.

Carlisle didn't even hesitate. "Absolutely. Show me to him immediately, please."

Bella and I followed Carlisle and Quil down the road until we got to a small, white house a few doors down. Quil led us into the small living room and gently shook Quil Sr.'s shoulder.

"Hey." Nothing. "Hey, Grandpa," he said, louder.

Quil Sr. moaned as he stirred and gave Quil a strange look as soon as he noticed Carlisle hovering next to him.

"Who…?" he asked sleepily.

"You know me, Mr. Ateara. I'm Dr. Cullen," Carlisle said smoothly. "I'm going to just take a quick look at you, okay? Your grandson's very concerned about you."

"I'm fine," he responded, almost drunkenly. "Just tired."

"Well, it'd make him feel better if I examined you."

Carlisle hadn't even touched him before he knew what was going on. _Edward, call an ambulance._

I whipped out my phone and moved into the hallway so that I didn't alarm Bella or Quil and gave the dispatcher all the information, including the fact that Dr. Cullen was already working on the patient. In the short time that I was gone, Carlisle had done an examination to confirm his diagnosis.

"I had Edward call for an ambulance," he told Quil calmly. "I think it's possible that given your grandfather's age that when he hit his head, it caused a bleed in his brain. A subdural hematoma. It's slow, but if we don't get him into surgery as soon as possible, he could die."

"He'll die?" Quil asked in shock.

Carlisle shook his head. "If the scan shows what I think it will, it will confirm that we caught the bleed before it could do serious damage."

Quil nodded dumbly.

"I hear the ambulance," Carlisle murmured, just as I heard the siren approaching. "It's still a couple of minutes out, so if there's anything you want to take with you, you should get it now," he instructed Quil.

"No. I'm fine."

"All right. Bella, you and Edward should go back to Billy's and let them know what's happening. I'll ride with the two of them in the ambulance and make sure he's properly attended to at the hospital."

Meaning, he'd be performing the surgery.

"Okay," Bella said with a nod. "Edward and I will be there as soon as we can."

The ambulance was just arriving as we were leaving, so I went to the front door and opened it so that the EMT's could get inside sooner. They maneuvered the gurney through the narrow hallway and into the living room, where Carlisle gave them a quick run-down of the situation.

Within a few minutes, they had Quil Sr. up on the gurney and were rolling him back out of the house.

"Jeez, that was fast," Bella whispered.

"It's serious."

"He'll be okay, though, right?" she asked, chewing on her lip.

"If Carlisle has anything to say about it, he'll be just fine."

She nodded.

Carlisle waited for them to load Quil Sr. into the back of the ambulance before hoisting himself up at human speed and then turned back to us. "I'll see you there," he said and then slipped inside.

I watched the ambulance drive away with Bella and squeezed her hand gently as soon as it was out of sight.

"Well," she said, blowing her hair out of her face, "I guess we'd better go spread the news."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews and interest in this fic so far...**

**Stratan set up a thread on Twilighted if you're interested in it. http:/ www (dot) twilighted(dot) net/forum/ ?f=33&t=10899**

**A/N at the bottom.**

* * *

Chapter 3

**Edward**

I led Bella into the ER, listening for any signs of Carlisle or Quil and found none. I knew Carlisle still had privileges at the hospital—in hope that we'd someday come back—so I listened to the buzzing minds we passed and learned that he'd already gotten Quil Sr. through the ER and into surgery.

The Cullen's return to Forks seemed to cause quite the commotion.

We found the surgical waiting room empty, with the exception of Quil. We immediately walked over to where he sat, staring blankly at the floor. With a quick squeeze, Bella let go of my hand and sat next to him.

"Hey," she said softly. "How is he?"

Quil shrugged. "They took him into a trauma room and made me wait outside while they 'assessed' him and then took him to the CT room. Then one of the nurses brought me here and told me they'd let me know when he got into surgery."

"Has anyone done that yet?" I asked, reaching into the mind of the woman at the desk only to find nothing but the superficial thoughts that went with the tabloid magazine she was reading.

"No. She said as soon as she knows something, she'll tell me. The phone's rung two or three times, though."

That was completely unacceptable.

I strode over to the desk and tapped on it lightly to get her attention. She huffed and irritably glanced up at me over her magazine. The moment her mind registered my presence, her eyes widened, her lips parted, and the magazine fell to the desk. Then there was, of course, the speeding of her pulse and the rapid, shallow breaths that were a reaction to my superfluous good looks.

_Oh, my God. Oh, my God. He's so…_

I smiled down at her and listened to her swallow convulsively as her mind stopped its ridiculous rambling. "Hello," I said smoothly.

I briefly questioned her cognizance as she struggled with the 'h' sound. After a few tries, she finally let out a shaky, "hi."

"My… girlfriend," it wasn't the appropriate word, but it would do for now, "and I came to visit a friend of ours while his grandfather is in surgery. My father is performing the surgery, actually."

I ignored the flicker of jealously that passed through her mind at the mention of Bella.

I leaned forward, carefully bracing myself on the desk. "Carlisle Cullen?"

She blinked a couple of times, her mind slowly comprehending my words.

_No wonder he's so gorgeous._

I smiled at her again, disarming her further. "I was wondering if there was any update available on Mr. Ateara."

"Well, I can only share that information with family," she squeaked regretfully.

"Pity." I glanced down at the paper with notes on the various surgeries going on, too quickly for her to notice. "Couldn't you make an exception for me?"

"Oh, I don't know," she with a coy, uncertain smile. "I- I mean, I guess I could."

Excellent.

"So have they already prepped him for the surgery?" I prompted.

"Yes. Dr. Cullen started the procedure five minutes ago."

Yet she sat here, too engrossed in her magazine to take the few seconds required to relay the message.

"And how is Mr. Ateara handling the anesthesia?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"He's doing just fine."

I nodded and straightened up. "I'll be over there," I said, pointing to where Bella and Quil were watching me closely. "Would it be too much to ask if we were updated every thirty minutes or so? We're expecting quite a few other people from La Push soon."

"I can't call back there every thirty minutes," she said hastily. "The surgeons would have me fired."

"It's my father. If he knows who's doing the inquiries, he won't mind. In fact, I'm sure he'd want nothing more than for Mr. Ateara's grandson to know every possible detail of this surgery."

She gave me a dubious look.

"Honestly. I wouldn't let you get into trouble," I said sincerely, flashing a crooked grin.

I scanned her mind again to make sure she'd do as I asked and went back to where Bella was sitting with Quil when I found that she would most certainly try to _please _me.

I blocked her thoughts before they could get any more vulgar.

"Carlisle began the operation, and your grandfather's doing fine," I informed Quil immediately.

His body relaxed minutely. "Okay," he breathed.

"You're awful," Bella said, shaking her head.

"How's that?" I asked, quirking my brow.

"Using your vampire charms against that poor woman."

I chuckled. "I wanted Quil to be informed. She was going to sit there and read her magazine all night instead of doing her job. So can you really blame me?"

She pursed her lips sheepishly. "I guess not."

I could hear the murmurings of the wolf pack, along with Billy, as they came down the corridor.

"You have visitors," I informed Quil.

"Yeah?"

I nodded.

Jacob pushed Billy into the waiting room, and the entire pack followed behind them. I moved aside and let them have their privacy—as much as one with vampire hearing, not to mention a mind reading ability, could —while Quil relayed everything about Quil Sr.'s condition and surgery. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Alice's number, pleased to hear her tinkling voice after just half a ring.

"Alice," I greeted with a smile.

"Oh, my God, Edward. We've been so worried. I couldn't see you—well, I still can't—and then Carlisle said you were in La Push and when he got there, he disappeared-"

"Said it was something about the wolves?"

She was talking so fast, no human would have been able to understand her. "Alice. Slow down. We're all fine. I'm not sure how much Carlisle told you before he left-"

"He said you were on the reservation with Bella, and you asked him to join a meeting." She hesitated. "She's Quileute?"

"Yes. It's a long story; one that I'd rather let Bella tell you. However, Carlisle had to bring one of the members of the tribal council to the hospital for emergency surgery. That's where Bella and I are now."

She was silent for a moment. "They stink. That's all I can see about them. And that's only because we'll hear it from you."

I chuckled. "It takes some getting used to."

"Okay. If you're staying there to support Bella's… family," the term was questioning, "so will we."

I could hear the others in the background moving around, readying themselves to leave. "Thank you."

"We'll be there as soon as we can. We need to hunt first."

Bella walked over to me and put her arms around my waist, just as I slipped my phone back in my pocket. She stared up at me with those beautiful, wide eyes of hers, so full of adoration, and I was suddenly wracked with emotion. I'd done so much to lose her trust and her love, and yet here she was—with me.

Her brown knit at my sudden shift in demeanor. "What?"

I gave her a comforting smile. Any explanation and apology I had for her could wait for a more appropriate moment.

So I told her a half-truth. "I thought I'd give them privacy. And call Alice."

"You didn't have to do that. Give them privacy, that is. Though, I'd love to see Alice, so I'm glad you called her," she said with an unrepentant shrug.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Then you won't need to wait long. They'll be here in a little bit."

"_All_ of them?"

"All of them," I confirmed. "Surely you're not nervous," I teased.

"No," she snapped out.

I laughed under my breath but said nothing. There was no need to tell her that her body's reaction to the prospect of seeing my family was giving her lie away. And her heart's fluttering in my ear was atypically soothing. I could listen to it for eternity.

I smiled hugely with the realization that I would. It was still such a novelty to have both options: Bella unchanged and—mostly—human with her warmth, her blush, and that rapidly beating heart I loved so much, and still being able to spend the rest of my days with her by my side.

I brought her closer to me and whispered that I loved her. It was never enough to truly convey how I felt, but after spending so much time away from her, it was something I wanted to say constantly now. Maybe I needed the reassurance that we'd never be apart again, just as much as I needed to give it to her.

Bella and I stood in silence, surrounded by the hum of the vending machines, while the pack members rearranged furniture, pulled out decks of cards, and got snacks and drinks, all while laughing and talking with Quil in an effort to distract him.

Jacob shuffled the cards and deftly arched them into a bridge. "You want in, Cullen?" he asked, flicking his gaze at me.

"No, thank you. My family is on their way."

His eyebrows shot up. "Well, okay, then. How about you, Bells?"

"Nah. I'm okay. I think I'll just stay here with Edward. Thanks, though."

He rolled his eyes and smirked down at the cards, thinking of how stuck up each other's asses we already were.

I laughed, stopping with a shrug when Bella gave me a strange look.

They all seemed acceptant of my presence in their lives—with the exception of Paul. He was the only one who would occasionally sneer something in my direction and refused to even give Bella and me so much as a cursory glance.

It was actually better than I'd expected given the intense hatred the tribe had had for our kind for so many years. To be welcomed unconditionally—as I knew Esme likely would with them—would be nothing short of a phenomenon. They'd taken the entire situation, the fact that Bella was my mate, regardless of the propensity we had to destroy one another, amazingly in stride.

Eventually, Bella's body began to sag against mine, so I glanced down to check on her. She looked so exhausted; it was a wonder her legs hadn't given out on her yet.

"How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.

"Fine," she yawned. "Just sleepy."

"Come on," I said, taking her hand. "Let's go sit down."

I led her to a quiet corner and sat down with her. She lay her head against my chest and sighed in contentment, and I thought I'd nearly burst at the seams with the sound. I'd missed this; every part of it. Every second of every day I longed for her, never knowing that something infinitely better awaited my return.

I almost felt unworthy of the sudden fortune I'd been granted, like the proverbial rug would be yanked out from under me at any given moment. For all I knew, her love—the imprint—wasn't enough to keep her by my side, and she considered my leaving unforgivable.

And I could hardly blame her.

Her breathing slowed and a light snore fell from her lips when she finally fell asleep. I let her rest as we waited for my family and the completion of Quil Sr.'s surgery and closed my eyes, blocking out the incessant drone of thoughts that the pack had—as well as my own uncertainty—and reveling in the first truly calm moment Bella and I had together since I'd stumbled upon her near the house.

I knew the second my family stepped foot off the elevator, but I refused to move. Their thoughts, the sounds of Esme, Rosalie, and Alice's shoes, all grew louder as they drew nearer, but it wasn't until I heard Alice's joyful thoughts that I finally cracked a smile and opened my eyes.

"You guys are so cute!" she squealed, too quietly to wake Bella.

"You just said that."

"I thought it," she argued. "God, she's beautiful, Edward. She was before, but now she's gorgeous."

"I know," I replied with a proud smile.

"It smells like wet dog in here," Rosalie muttered, glancing around with a disgusted look.

"Rose," Esme chided.

"I'm assuming they're causing the putrid stench?" she asked, pointing to where Jacob and Billy were watching us closely. She inhaled and grimaced. "I can't figure it out. Bella stinks, but it's different. It's like a wet dog shook himself out on her, rather than _her_ as the wet dog. I can't really figure out what she smells like."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "She doesn't stink at all." I leaned in toward Bella's hair and took a deep breath. "She smells amazing; exactly the same. Well, better. I no longer want to drain her dry."

Emmett grinned widely and plopped down next to us, hard enough to startle Bella.

She yawned and blinked at him.

"Hey, mutt," he greeted. "How's it going?"

"Emmett," I groaned.

"Hi," she said sleepily, ignoring his rib. She pushed against me to sit up, and I reluctantly let her go. "How are you?"

"Same." He glanced over at the tribe. "So you're Quileute. That's awesome! I've been begging Carlisle and Esme for a puppy for decades. They always said no, arguing that I'd eventually eat it. But I won't eat you, I promise! Can we keep her Esme? Can we?"

I growled.

"Okay, okay," he relented, holding up his hands in surrender. "I was just fooling around, jeez."

Bella giggled. "It's okay, Edward."

She stood up and was enveloped in Esme's arms. "I missed you so much," Esme whispered. "We all did."

Bella's breath caught. "I missed you, too."

"So you need to tell us everything," Alice said enthusiastically, pulling her down in one of the chairs across from me.

Bella blushed. "Well, Charlie's not really my father. Billy Black is."

Esme ran a tender hand over her hair. "Oh, Bella. I'm sorry."

Bella shook her head adamantly. "Don't be. I may understand what happened between Billy and my mother now, but it doesn't change the fact that Charlie Swan is and always will be my dad. Genetics be damned."

Bella told my family about everything, even going as far as to explain her imprint on me—without the mention of us consummating the relationship, although, judging by the eager look on Emmett's face, and his perverse train of thought, we wouldn't be able to evade that subject for long.

Which was just as well. I had so many questions about it, anyway. I'd seen some of the thoughts and emotions that went with the mating process, but I didn't realize how _involuntary_ that first coupling was. While I didn't regret it—in fact, the mere thought of it had my body stirring and demanding to do it again—it hadn't been at all what I had expected or planned for us. Since I'd spent so many years alone, I was more than likely over-thinking it all, but I'd always wanted to give Bella something special. More. Not some random roll in the grass, nearly interrupted by a pack of shifters.

_You can make it up to her_, Alice thought, catching a vision of some future discussion I had with all of them. _You have forever_.

That one sentence eased so many of my fears. I owed it to Bella to talk to her about everything, but now that I knew it would all work out, I could finally allow myself to genuinely relax.

Once Bella had told them everything they wanted to know, my family all went to the opposite side of the room to introduce themselves to the pack and the council members. Esme's warmth and graciousness surprised them, her hospitality—the offering of a little get-together at our house to celebrate our _union_, something that had both Bella and me cringing with embarrassment—baffled them. Emmett made them laugh, and Rosalie's beauty had rendered, albeit grudgingly, a few of them speechless.

They were interrupted by a quick update on Quil Sr.'s condition, and then they all went to occupy themselves for the remainder of the surgery, being careful to keep the human façade for the benefit of the woman at the desk; Alice and Jasper sat in a corner together, silently communicating with one another like they always did while they pretended to watch TV, Rosalie threw her legs over Emmett's lap and they each read a magazine at a human pace in the chairs across from Bella and me, and Esme opted to stay by Quil's side and comfort him, easily falling into conversation with Billy while she sat there.

"You're all couples?" Billy asked her, gesturing broadly to us.

Esme smiled over at me. "Yes. We've all finally found our mates."

"Mates," Billy repeated, testing the word. "What does that mean exactly?"

"Well, we have one person that we are bound to for the entirety of our existence," I explained. "Physically. Emotionally. Much like your imprinting, only without the drive to procreate. Intimacy, for us, intensifies our bond; the social aspect of having a mate keeps us sane. To be separated from our mate would cause us great pain."

"How do you mean?"

"Our kind is known to seek vengeance on the one who killed their mate, much like Victoria is trying to do. It really has nothing to do with Bella, and everything to do with me. To take my mate would make me know the agony she feels constantly. I knew Bella was alive and well, and it physically hurt to be away from her. Victoria wants me to suffer as she does."

An image flickered through Billy's mind of Renee, and Jasper winced with the extent of his pain.

"Imagine the loss you feel for your imprint now, and how it would feel to have her destroyed. Vampires, by nature, are an extremely aggressive race. We would lash out and avenge our mate. Once vengeance is fulfilled, most would likely seek death ourselves. Spending the rest of eternity without your mate would be unbearable."

"I see."

The conversation ended there, but I could hear Billy consistently thinking it over as time wore on, becoming more and more convinced that we were as we said—unlike the monsters of their legends. After two more hours of waiting, Carlisle finally came rushing into the waiting room, yanking his black surgical cap off his head and tucking it into the pocket of his blue scrubs.

He flashed Esme a warm smile before clearing his throat and focusing on Quil. "Your grandfather made it through the surgery just fine," he told him, using that calm, collected manor he did to help comfort patients' families.

Everyone breathed out a collective sigh of relief.

"We removed the hematoma and stopped the bleeding using a catheter. There is still the risk of seizure, so I've prescribed an anti-convulsion medication for the next few weeks until I can assess his progress. I've also instructed the nurses to continue giving him corticosteroids to prevent any future swelling and lower the risk of unnecessary brain damage. He may still be disoriented when he wakes up, but I see no reason why he shouldn't make a full recovery."

"Thank you," Quil said with an excited smile. "When can we see him?"

Carlisle nodded. "In about an hour or so."

"Okay."

Billy extended his hand to Carlisle. "We owe you, Dr. Cullen. Quil Sr. is an important member of our tribe. We don't have the kind of money on the reservation to set up proper care for the tribe. His condition would have been missed if you hadn't come to the meeting."

Carlisle's compassionate nature thrilled at the idea of helping them. "We could assist you," he replied smoothly. "We could set up a clinic on the reservation, and I could see patients in my free time."

Billy frowned. "I don't know…"

"We have the resources to help; it wouldn't be a burden to us. We could institute the program on a trial basis. If it doesn't work, I'll leave the established clinic in the tribe's hands and continue my work here."

After a brief debate, Billy agreed. "I need to have it approved by the council, you understand, but I see no issue with it. Not after tonight. Quil wouldn't have survived without your help."

* * *

**Bella**

I stepped out into the meadow and breathed in the fragrant air. Flowers covered every inch of the clearing, and a few rays of sun even managed to streak through the clouds and light up certain areas. I'd opted to ride on Edward's back, like we'd done before, instead of phasing so that I didn't have to bother with throwing my clothes on when we got here.

Because I was pretty sure they'd just come right back off again, or at least that's what I was hoping for.

I couldn't believe how much energy I still had after my little nap earlier, given how insanely eventful and long my day had been. Just this morning, I was lying next to the Sol Duc River, lamenting over spilled berries and lost loves. I'd imprinted, learned more about my heritage, and spent hours worrying over a tribe member I barely knew, simply because in the few days I'd been phased, no one had ever made me feel like I didn't belong with them. Not even Paul, regardless of how he felt about my love for Edward. I should be exhausted, but I wasn't. I was giddy with the sight of Edward here with me.

"You know, I thought about looking for this place," I said casually as I plopped down in the sunlight.

Edward took the necessary steps at vampire speed and folded his legs under him as he sat next to me. "Oh, yeah?" he asked, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

I laughed at his sudden appearance next to me. "Well, hi."

He grinned crookedly. "Hello."

His voice was unintentionally seductive. I let my breath out shakily as my body instantly reacted to the sound. "You still have that same effect on me."

"Hmm. Can't say that I'm disappointed."

Neither was I, but I chose to keep that to myself.

I rolled my eyes. "So, yeah. I gave it a lot of thought, you know… coming here. You left me with… nothing. I needed to have something to hold on to, and this was the only thing you couldn't take with you. But I didn't know how to get here. I bought maps and a compass. Even a new pair of hiking boots. I was going to start at the trailhead and work my way through the woods until I found it."

"Bella," he breathed. "I left everything here."

"What?"

"It's all under your floorboards. It was here all along."

"Really?"

He nodded. "They weren't important, but I couldn't take anything away from you. So I hid them.

"It's not just materialistic things I left behind. I left everything I am with you. I felt so empty without you."

I was stunned. "Huh," was all I could say.

His golden eyes weighed heavily with regret as he stared back at me. "I have so much to make up for," he whispered.

I steeled myself. Now was as good of a time as any to talk about this. "Why'd you go?"

"I thought I was protecting you." He looked away from me and frowned. "I thought I wasn't any good for you."

"What?" I exclaimed. "How could you ever think that?"

He sighed. "Bella, look at what I brought into your life. James. Jasper. And now Victoria. I've brought you nothing but danger."

"You didn't bring that to me," I argued. "I'm a danger magnet, remember?"

His lips quirked. "I remember."

"I…" I took a deep breath so that I didn't cry. "I thought you didn't love me anymore. You said-"

"I lied," he said emphatically. "I have _never _stopped loving you."

My brow furrowed. "But… I don't understand."

"A piece of me died that day, Bella." He grabbed my hands. "You didn't put up a fight. You just believed me. How could you ever think that I didn't love you?"

"Because it didn't make sense. You're you… And I'm me. You always kept your distance, like maybe there was a part of you that didn't want to be with me-"

His lips abruptly cut off anything else I was going to say. His mouth moved avidly with mine as passion erupted between us. I moaned and clung to him as his hands touched everywhere. The chill, the speed, made me dizzy with desire. In one swift move, he'd laid us on our sides and had my leg hitched around his hip, grinding me against him.

He broke the kiss and made an icy trail over my jaw to my ear as his fingers found my nipple underneath my shirt. "I always wanted to be with you," he whispered. "But I wanted something more for you. I wanted you to be normal. Human. I wanted you to grow old and have babies. I can give you none of that, Bella, and you deserve so much more."

I focused on answering him instead of the way he was making me feel. "I only want you. None of it would mean anything without you."

"I'm sorry," he murmured against my skin. "All my reasons for leaving—no matter how good I thought they were at the time—were wrong. I wanted to keep you out of my supernatural world, to keep you safe, and you found your way into it anyway." He pressed a kiss to neck. "So stubborn. Going to such great lengths to get me back here."

I let myself smile a little. "You can't get rid of me."

"I'm glad." He slowly lifted my shirt over my head and flashed a wickedly crooked grin as he stared down at my chest. "And in the spirit of full disclosure, I'm also glad to have access to these now."

I laughed, even though my cheeks flooded with color.

"You should phase and shred your clothes more often. This no bra thing is great."

"Don't forget. No underwear, either," I told him playfully.

His eyes blackened as he growled. "Jesus, Bella. Are you _trying_ to test my control?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're in the middle of a conversation, and I'm lying here wanting to do nothing more than to strip you down and make love to you again, but I want to make sure you're comfortable first."

"I'm okay," I whispered, bringing my hand up to run through his hair and blushing again. "I want you."

He brought his lips to my breast, trailing his cool tongue over my nipple while his hands did amazing things to my body, alternating from ghosting touches to rough squeezes in response to my embarrassingly loud moans. I _did_ want him, but my mind was still wondering how long this would last. I knew I was different, sturdier—able to keep up with the "supernatural"—but I couldn't help but feel like all of this was some kind of hallucination. Like if I let my mind clear long enough to see through the garbled mess that had become my life, Edward would disappear.

He moved down my abdomen, pausing and looking up at me with a curious expression. "Something's wrong. Tell me what it is."

"It's nothing," I lied.

"Bella…" His tongue dipped inside my belly button, and I nearly whimpered. "Tell me," he said thickly.

"The um… the imprint isn't making you stay, is it?" I asked, biting my lip nervously.

In a flash, he'd propped himself up on his elbow beside me and cupped my cheek with a smile. "No. The imprint isn't making me stay. _You_ are."

"But how can you be sure?"

He ran his nose along the pulse point at my neck and kissed it. My body sang with that one kiss. "Feel it, Bella? The hum, the spark?" he asked roughly. "It's always been there. I am yours as you are mine. It's always been that way; I just wouldn't accept it."

"The imprint made you come back, though."

"It made me come back, yes. The day you phased, I just took off. I didn't know where I was going until I was on a flight to Seattle, and even then, I wasn't sure _what_ I was doing; if I was coming for you or for another reason. But imprint or not, I could never leave you again. It killed me to do it the first time, Bella. I was so unbelievably miserable without you. It was just a matter of time before I stopped fighting it and came crawling back, even if none of this happened. You're my mate, my life, in every sense of the word now."

I thrilled with the admission, but managed to somehow keep my cool.

"Edward? What were you doing while you were gone?"

He sighed. "Trying my hand at tracking. I was awful."

"Tracking?" I asked in confusion.

"Victoria. I hadn't expected her to retaliate, but I couldn't let her go. Like I said, though, I was awful. I didn't realize she was here until that second in the clearing by the house. At some point, I'd lost her. I owe the wolves—Jacob—more than I can ever repay them. They kept you safe when I didn't. If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. I-"

I took his face in my hands and kissed him deeply. "Stop it."

He shook his head. "I have to live with the consequences. It's understandable that you don't trust me, but I will spend every day regaining that trust and proving to you how much you mean to me."

"You think I don't trust you?"

"How could you? Like I said, I lied to you. I left you when I'd promised that I'd always be by your side, even when you were complaining about one day being an old woman and begging me to change you before you got any older. I didn't bother to discuss it with you; I just acted on what I thought was best for you."

"Yeah, you did." I grinned at his look of surprise. "Just promise not to do it again. We won't work, whether we're mates or not, if we don't communicate with one another. I understand your need to protect me, but I'm not some frail human anymore. I can take care of myself."

"It goes against everything I am to let you fight on your own."

"I know. And I'm not expecting you to. But you can't make my decisions for me. An eternity is an awfully long time to piss off your mate."

"It is," he conceded. "And I'll try not to do it again. But give me time, love. It's not going to be something I can change overnight."

"Okay," I said against his lips.

Edward rolled us so that he was on his back, fisting my jeans in his hands hard enough that the seams at my hips popped. He lifted himself off the ground just enough so that I could jerk his shirt over his head. I traced the lean lines of his torso before I slowly moved my mouth down his smooth skin. His groan as I passed over a particularly sensitive spot emboldened me. Now that I knew that everything he'd said when he left was a lie, and that Edward would have come to me of his own volition—not because of some stupid imprint, but because I was his _mate_—this all felt right, natural. Not like before when we were both helpless to the will of the imprint. That first time had been to seal the imprint. Now,_ we_ were the willing participants, because we truly loved each other.

It made our connection impossibly stronger.

The moment I had his jeans down around his knees, I took him in my hand. His head fell back against the ground as I stroked him, and I thought I heard him whisper a curse word, but it was so quiet that I couldn't be sure. Every part, every inch, of him was perfect—impossibly so. The need to please him was drumming through me. True to the imprint, nothing mattered but this being. I suddenly wanted to throw my inhibitions away and show him how much he meant to me and that unbelievably, I did trust him—with my life. Because as he'd said just a minute ago, imprint or not, we were entwined for eternity.

So with a deep breath, I pushed any fear I had of lacking aside and wrapped my lips around him. That indescribably sweet flavor that was so innately Edward was more potent here, and without thinking, I moaned at how good he tasted.

His back arched against the feel of the vibrations of my voice. "Oh, God," he groaned.

I wanted to laugh at his reaction, but I made myself focus on him instead. I didn't have a clue about what I was doing, and I needed to pick up on all the hints I could get.

My motions grew more confident with each groan and incoherent word he emitted. I could feel the tension in his body the closer he got to his orgasm, which only served to spur me on further. I sucked down on him, toyed with him with my hand, and felt his hands in my hair, urging me back.

"Bella, baby, move. I can't…"

I moaned again when I felt his hips raise up off the ground, loving that it was _me_ that made him feel like this. I hadn't thought that doing something solely for him could turn me on, but in true Edward fashion, everything about him turned me on. My moan was enough to send him over the edge; he let out this inhuman, guttural groan just as he came, which was in all honesty, so absurdly hot.

Once his climax had ebbed, I sat up and grinned shyly at him, earning a disbelieving shake of his head in reply.

_So I did something right. _

He pulled me up to his waist so that I was straddling him and ripped my jeans off of me, murmuring something about needing to buy stock in some jean company before it was over, and slipped his hand in between my legs.

I squirmed as he ran his fingers over me. "You liked that."

He dipped his finger inside me and my mouth dropped open in a silent scream. If I thought the intensity of my need for him would die down after that first time, I was wrong. It was nearly intolerable.

"Answer me."

"Yes," I moaned, pushing against his hand, desperate to relieve the pressure between my thighs.

"Bella, do you know what the best thing is about being with a vampire?"

I whimpered as he pulled his hand back.

"No recovery time."

He lined us up and cautiously watched me as I eased myself down on him. Our moans filled the air as we connected, and as soon as he was fully inside me, I stilled to let myself adjust to the overwhelming feel of him.

"You doing all right?" he asked softly.

I was doing better than all right. "Oh, yeah," I said, earning a rough laugh in response.

I moved myself up and down on him, gasping as his fingers moved around my hip and found my clit. He smirked up at me, obviously enjoying the fact that he was making me feel so good; I'd have been self-conscious if it hadn't been for the fact that he was being just as vocal as I was.

He brought his other hand to the back of my neck, pulling me down so that our bodies were flush with one another. The way his cool skin felt against my hot, sweaty flesh was delicious; the ghosting of his breath as he trailed kisses over my neck was maddening.

"You feel so good," I uttered against his mouth.

He groaned as he kissed me fiercely and grabbed my hips, recklessly grinding me against him until I came so hard, my entire body locked down, holding him against me as he was rocked with his own orgasm.

I collapsed against him, peppering his gorgeous face with kisses until I thought I had enough strength to move off of him.

I braced myself on the ground at his head and started lifting myself up, only to be held firmly in place.

I giggled. "Let me go."

"No. We have all day together. I plan to do that a few more times before I take you back home to feed you."

I hummed in contentment. "I'm really glad you came back this week."

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Why's that?"

"Charlie still thinks I'm somewhere on Mount Rainier. And Angela thinks I'm with Jacob, so…." I trailed off suggestively.

"You're a devious little wolf, aren't you?" He paused. "I like it."

"I figured you would."

He reached out, keeping his other arm locked around me and quickly pulled his cell phone out of his discarded jeans.

"What are you doing?" I questioned.

"Buying a bed."

"But you don't sleep."

"No, but you're going to continue to stay with me while you're supposedly on this class trip, aren't you?"

"Yes," I replied. I wasn't looking forward to Charlie's reaction when he found out I wasn't really his daughter. I didn't think it would change his feelings toward me, but if I could put off hurting him any at all, I would.

He smiled roguishly. "Then I'll need a bed. A very sturdy bed."

* * *

**So Stratan and I discussed it last night and decided that some of you might get pissed off about the lemon. So I thought I'd just leave a quick little explanation.**

**No, Bella and Edward are not trying to fix their relationship with sex. They have a ways to go, and I promise we'll get them there... healthily. Also, there's a specific reason - other than the biological drive they have to mate - as to why their sex life is so _busy _at the moment that's not been explained yet. Hopefully, when we get there, you'll understand the compulsion they have a little more.**

**Ok, that's all. Review, PM, find me on Twitter (at JennyB0719)... the usual.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the interest in the fic so far. I (and I'm sure Super Beta Strat does too) appreciate all the positive feedback received and recs/rt's/etc so far.**

**Thanks so much to EBalways for rec'ing this on The Hostage... if she sent you my way, let me know in a review if you're liking it. I promised her I'd let her know if I got any traffic from it.**

**Speaking of rec's, this is what you should read: With All My Strength by Rhi Aeffyll. It's an AU fic by one of Stratan's authors that is not getting anywhere near enough attention. It's different, bouncing back and forth from past to present, so it takes a bit of getting used to, but now that Edward has gotten more involved with Bella, it's really getting good. Oh, did I mention Edward is a tribal king born in 423 AD Scotland? **

**http:/www(dot) fanfiction(dot) net/ s/ 5632121/1/**

**Find me on Twitter, (at)JennyB0719**

* * *

Chapter 4

**Edward**

"Is it here?" I asked Alice as I led Bella into the house. I'd made sure she was perfectly presentable before bringing her back home. The last thing I wanted was for Emmett to find yet another reason to make fun of her.

She nodded and grinned. "I put it together myself."

"Thanks."

"Is what here?" Bella asked.

"You'll see," I responded cryptically, catching my sister's thoughts as she stood to the side expectantly.

"No," I answered immediately. "No way."

"Come on!" she pouted. "You've had her all day!" Alice was still struck by how Bella had changed. She was right when she said that even though Bella was beautiful before, she was now utterly gorgeous. Alice was thinking about how Bella would look in various outfits, and how certain things would "play up her eyes"… whatever that meant. My confusion must have been clear.

_Are you kidding?_ Alice thought to me. _You haven't noticed her eyes? As with the rest of her, they were beautiful before… but now… they put Bambi to shame._

I wasn't really sure how to respond to this, so I just kept my mouth shut.

"If I hand her over to you, it'll be next week before you let me see her again," I protested.

"Not true," Alice argued with a pout.

"What are you two talking about?" Bella asked, gently shoving away from me as she waited for the answer.

"Alice wants to commandeer you for the day," I replied simply.

"Borrow," Alice corrected. "I'll give her back."

"Oh. What's the big deal?"

I sighed. "No big deal. I'm just selfish." I stared into her eyes and truly understood what Alice was talking about; they were incredible, and I felt myself—for the first time in my existence—get a little weak-kneed. I actually _had_ noticed Bella's eyes, but with everything that had occurred today and the frenetic pace that it all seemed to go at, I hadn't had the opportunity to sit down, collect my thoughts, and let all of this sink in. While I'd miss Bella terribly, a little time to myself might not be a bad thing.

I bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'll see what everyone else is up to. You girls have fun."

Alice clapped her hands happily. "Thank you."

"You're sure?" Bella questioned, biting her lips.

"He's sure. Come on!" Alice grabbed her hand and carefully dragged her up the large staircase and—presumably—to her bedroom.

I stood there and searched out my family, pinpointing their locations immediately. Carlisle seemed to be the only one doing anything remotely interesting to me, so I flew up the steps to his study, barely raising my hand to knock on the door before he told me to come in.

"Hey," I said as I entered the room, frowning at the huge stack of books in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Research."

I laughed. "Already?"

He glanced up at me and smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself. I got home from the hospital and wanted to sort through some of these legends."

"He's obsessed," Rosalie interjected wryly from downstairs. "Wouldn't stop talking about your girlfriend all day."

My brow furrowed at her tone. "You still don't like her."

She was vocally silent but was mentally running through the service manual for her M3. "She's fine."

I huffed and decided to ignore her, picking up a book from Carlisle's desk and examining it instead. I couldn't understand why she had such hostility toward Bella other than the fact that she was still harboring jealousy toward her; an issue I wasn't interested in bothering with at all.

"What's this?" I asked Carlisle, holding up the book.

"An old Quileute book," he said distractedly. "I picked it up a few years ago thinking it might come in handy."

"Ah." I sat it back down and started to leave.

"Where are you going? She's your mate. Don't you want to know all about her?" he asked curiously.

"Eventually. Right now, I just want to…" I trailed off, unable to describe what the need was.

"I understand. She's everything you left behind and more now; the 'more' being that now she's physically compatible with you as well. Not that you weren't before," he hurried when I gave him an indignant look, "but experiencing everything a mated couple does would have proven to be difficult when she was merely human. I'd imagine you have an intense need to keep her by your side at all times."

"It's like if I can't touch her, she'll disappear. Or that spending time away from me will make her realize how awful I was toward her, and she'll decide it isn't worth the risk." _That I've done too much damage to the heart I've loved so much._ "I can't live with that ache again."

He smiled sympathetically. "That's not going to happen, Edward. She needs you just as much as you need her. Everything you feel, she feels. Maybe more. She's new to this life. She may not be a vampire, but she is likely just as overwhelmed with all the new sensations that come with this life as a newborn vampire would be, only without the burn of thirst to get in the way."

I nodded. "I think I'll wait for Alice to finish with her in my room."

"Okay. I'll let you know if I find something that's worth interrupting you."

I slipped out of the study and headed toward my bedroom, opening the door and smiling at the large, wrought iron bed now standing in the center. I rushed over and examined it. Even in her human form, I could tell that Bella was much more durable, but I wanted to ensure that the bed didn't collapse on us during our… _activities_.

Once I was sufficiently satisfied that Bella and I could do as we pleased without suffering the consequences, I turned on some music and lay down on the bed, finally allowing myself to relax after months of anguish. After a while, the lilting of the music managed to put my worries at ease. Bella was safer here—with us—than anywhere else on the planet. The wolves were going to help me protect her from Victoria, and I had to believe that we would capture and kill her before she had a chance to get anywhere near Bella.

With graduation just around the corner, our life together would soon be able to really begin. We could do anything and go anywhere we wanted to. College was the next experience I wanted her to have. I wondered where she'd applied to, though it really didn't matter. I'd already seen and done so much, though truthfully, with Bella by side, I would get to see the world through her eyes, and it'd be like experiencing everything for the very first time.

I was perfectly content to let Bella decide on things for the next twenty or so years… well, with one exception. At some point in the near future, I wanted to marry her. I just wasn't exactly sure what her reaction would be, and I most definitely didn't want to be rejected. Because we'd been raised in different time periods and had vastly different upbringings, our views of what it mean to be mates was sure to differ some. Who was to say that she'd ever let me put a ring on her finger?

It was a little disheartening to think that she'd be willing to be my mate but not my wife.

Footsteps stopping just outside the door interrupted my inner ramblings. I sat up just as the door slowly crept open and smiled widely when Bella stepped inside my bedroom.

"I thought I wouldn't see you until tonight. Where's Alice?"

"I escaped," she giggled, closing and locking the door behind her. "Think a lock will stop a house full of vampires from barging in?"

"Only as long as there's no danger to the human."

"Well, I may still appear to be human, but we both know that's not the case."

I shook my head at her playful tone and moved to get up and join her, only for her to hold her hand up to stop me.

"Don't move. I like looking at you on that bed."

I arched a brow. "You do?"

She nodded and started to lazily walk through the room. "It's different to see you lying on a bed. A bed that actually suits you," she said quickly. "Not some dinky little twin bed at Charlie's house."

"Bella-"

"You look out of place at my house," she continued, running her fingers over some of the many records sitting on my shelf. "You're too grand. Too... something. I don't know," she finished with a blush.

I chuckled under my breath.

"This is your place of solace. It complements everything I know about you. And the bed… well, it is giving me all kinds of ideas."

"Oh, really?" I asked with a sly smile. "And here I was wondering if I'd rushed things by telling you I was going to purchase a sturdy bed."

She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and shook her head vehemently. "It's all I can think about."

"Me?"

"Sex. With you," she said, laughing nervously.

I simply watched her as she shifted uncertainly, waiting for her to finish her thought.

"Is it normal?" she finally asked.

In a flash, I'd crossed the room and drawn her into my arms. Seeing her inside my bedroom, my domain, and talking about sex was almost too much to take. I wanted to throw her up against the wall and stake claim to her all over again, but I wouldn't. The bed gave me the ability to take her slowly, to savor it for the first time, rather than having such tunnel vision.

"Yes, love. It is."

"I know it's not the imprint that makes me want to do it-"

"What are you, five? 'Do it'?" I teased.

"Edward." She lightly smacked my chest, but I felt nothing. "I'm serious."

I cradled her face in my hands, tilting it up so that she could see me clearly. "The circumstances may be unique, but we are _still_ a mated pair. It's absolutely normal that we want to explore that bond physically. There isn't a vampire couple I know of that hasn't."

She let her breath out loudly. "Okay."

I made quick work of studying her face and then bent down to kiss her. "So was that why you came in here?" I murmured. "To make sure we were the norm?"

I could feel the blood rush underneath her skin as I slowly dragged my mouth across her jaw. "No." She swallowed thickly. "I, uh…"

I swirled my tongue over her pulse point and inhaled deeply. "Yes?"

"Don't make me say it."

Lower I went, relishing the hitch of breath that was a result of my mouth on her flustered skin. I grinned wickedly against her skin. "But I want to hear it."

I dropped my hands to her waist and started walking her to the bed. "Edward," she moaned.

I straightened up and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, and I gently lifted it over her head so that even more of her divine body was exposed to me. My hands skimmed over her back as I stared down at her, ready to hear the words roll off her tongue.

She pressed herself against me and slipped her hands under my shirt, looking up at me beseechingly. "Come on."

"Say it," I replied with a crooked grin.

Her lips twitched, and she rolled her eyes. "I came in here because I want you," she whispered.

"What? I didn't catch that."

"You hear everything, you lying vampire."

I just shrugged.

"Do you, uh… Do you think they can hear us?"

Yes, they could, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

"We'll be quiet. Unless, of course, you don't think you can."

"I can," she said, setting her jaw stubbornly.

"I'm not sure," I answered, toying with the waist of her jeans. "You're awfully loud."

Her face reddened further. "So are you."

I shrugged again, unabashed. "I know." I dipped down to kiss her once more. "Do you know what I want to do?"

"Hmm?" she asked, blinking slowly.

"Shred these."

"What?" In a single movement, I'd ripped her jeans and panties off of her body. A look of surprise passed over her face, quickly followed by one that was half understanding and half intense arousal. "Oh."

"That's better," I said, eyeing her appreciatively.

"You're going to make it so that I have nothing to wear. I can't afford to keep replacing clothes. I mean, I thought it was bad to be a pack member, but no, it's much worse to have an impatient, inhumanly strong boyfriend."

"I'll buy you new ones every time I destroy them," I promised, laying her down on the bed.

"Edward, that's not necessary."

"Get used to it, Bella. You're my mate. One of the Cullens. What's mine is yours."

She bit down on the inside of her cheek but said nothing else on the subject, opting to let her hands roam under my shirt, teasing me with her feathery touch as she quickly undressed me.

I shivered as she moved her fingers down my spine, causing her to laugh. "My vampire's ticklish."

"You have no idea how good your touch feels," I groaned, leaning into her hands again.

"I think I have an idea. My eyes like to check out my brain when you touch me."

I couldn't help laughing at her comment. In the calmness of this moment, I took the opportunity to really look at her. In every way that counted, she was the same girl that I fell in love with, but the changes that she had undergone were undeniable. It seemed that all of her features were somehow magnified.

Her skin was flawless, and her face was heartbreakingly beautiful. It retained the heart-shape that I loved, but like the rest of her, there was a maturity to her facial features. I could stare at her all day. Upon closer inspection, I now fully appreciated Alice's "Bambi" remark; the resemblance was certainly there – Bella's eyes were huge and a gorgeous, deep brown. If I thought I could drown in them back when she was human… well, there just aren't words to accurately describe the beauty of her eyes now. Even her hair had been improved upon. It still smelled as amazing as always, but now it was thicker and shinier, and felt so soft.

Everything about her was luscious now. Her breasts were full and spilled out of my hands as I palmed them, and her plump lips begged to be kissed. The way her body felt in my arms, twisting and tangling her limbs with mine, managed to do things to me that I hadn't known possible—not even from years of living with three mated vampire couples. I'd spent so long trying to convince myself that she wasn't for me; so long denying how beautiful she was. Now, it was impossible. I'd never lay eyes on anything more incredible than her. To reject how she made me feel right now was almost profane.

I lowered my hand, cupping her ass and grinding her hips into mine. "God, Bella, you have no idea how your beauty astounds me."

She jerked away from me with an awestruck expression on her face. "What did you say?"

I frowned down at her. "I was just saying that you're beautiful."

"I… I astound you?" she questioned.

"Well, yeah."

She giggled. "Oh, I'm so glad you finally know what it's like."

I was still lost.

"To be dazzled," she clarified.

"I see. Well, you certainly dazzle me, my love."

I moved down her body so that I could explore her with my mouth. Her skin was so incredibly soft, and it tasted incredible. Her increased temperature, especially when coupled with her arousal, was amazing. With each gentle stroke of my tongue and pass of my fingers, she sighed brokenly, trying not to moan when I did something she particularly liked.

She started to writhe against my mouth as she neared release. Her legs tightened around my head, and her hands gripped my hair like vices. I flicked her clit with my tongue and heard the most impossible sound come from her as she finally came against me. It was almost as if she'd… purred, but that wasn't exactly the right description of it. It was a throaty sound, almost like a feral keen. It sounded like a rumble of sorts, emanating from her chest. Whatever it was, it was the hottest thing I'd ever heard in all my years on this earth.

When her orgasm ebbed, I pushed myself up so that I could see her face. "What was that?"

"Oh, God." She shook her head and hid her face behind her hands, trying to shift around me so that she was no longer facing me.

"No, you don't," I said, grabbing her thighs and locking her in place. "Was that… was it a purr?"

"I'm not a cat!"

"Well, I'm not sure how else to describe it," I replied honestly.

"Just drop it, okay? I can't believe I did that."

"I'm not going to drop it. It was sexy."

She peeked down at me through the gap of her fingers. "Really?"

I took her hands in one of mine so that I could see her fully. "Absolutely. Think you can do it again?" I asked, pressing myself into her inner thigh.

She moaned and tried to jerk me further up her body. "Yeah, maybe."

I positioned myself in between her thighs and without hesitation, drove into her tight body, groaning as soon as I felt her wrap her legs around my waist to pull me in further. I sinuously moved my hips with hers, making sure I took my time as I made love to her, even though I could tell by the way her nails tried to dig into the crystalline flesh at my hips that she wanted me to move faster and harder inside her.

I let my hands work her body as I kept my pace excruciatingly slow, listening to the cues I was beginning to recognize to ensure that I was doing everything she wanted. Even though everything was new, there was never any of the awkwardness or discomfort that came with touching someone in a way they didn't particularly enjoy; we simply _fit._

Her breathing grew heavy, and a smile flickered across her face as her heavy eyes held mine. With my own grin in response, I took advantage of my vampire abilities and rearranged us so that I was kneeling with Bella draped over me. The look of surprise on her face was quickly replaced by one of pleasure since I wasted no time moving inside her again.

She rocked against me, using our close proximity as an opportunity to rub her body against mine and trail kisses wherever her mouth could easily reach. Her taunting movements eventually became too much for me, so I gripped her hair and pulled her face to mine so that I could kiss her properly.

She moaned as our tongues met and tightly wound her arms around me, holding me against her, while she bounced on top of me.

Her face scrunched up with concentration, and she whispered the words, "right there". She blushed all the way down to her chest as soon as she realized that I'd caught her words. I soundly kissed her to reassure her that she had nothing to be embarrassed about. I loved knowing that I could make her feel good.

Wanting nothing more than to bring her that pleasure, I did just as she requested, and sped up our movements until we were both panting. For me, it wasn't because of exertion, but because it was some instinctual reaction to the intense feelings rushing through me. Every muscle in her lithe body tensed as her climax overtook her. That keening noise came pouring out of her mouth again, eliminating any control I might have had left. I clung to her as I struggled not to call out as I came, instead grunting into her neck instead. She kissed me one last time and fell back against the bed, staring up at me sleepily. I stayed as I was and just took in the dreamy expression on her face.

After a while, she spoke again, "I need a nap."

I chuckled and moved to lie next her, pushing away some the hair that had splayed out across the pillow from my face. "Then sleep. I've worn you out today."

"So arrogant now that you've gotten laid."

I shook my head. "I'm stating the obvious."

She laughed. "I wish I could, but I promised Alice I'd come back. It was the only way she'd let me past the door short of phasing and using my teeth to toss her out of the way."

I threw her a lopsided smile. "I don't think Jasper would appreciate that."

"Neither would Esme. I'm sure Alice would do some damage to the house when she landed."

"It'd be nothing worse than Rosalie and Emmett. At least you wouldn't have torn down the wall actually doing the deed; it'd be because you were _trying_ to."

"God, isn't that the truth?" she asked. "That'd be mortifying."

"Maybe for you!" Emmett called out from downstairs. "I thought it was pretty bad ass!"

"Oh, my God. They heard all of that, didn't they?" Bella asked, her face flaming up with embarrassment.

"Every moan!" Emmett yelled. "_Oh, Edward. Right there!"_ he mocked in a falsetto voice.

A low growl broke loose from my chest. "Emmett," I warned.

"Pull the stick out of your ass, Edward," he retorted.

I didn't bother responding to that.

"It's a good thing I like him," she muttered to herself.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep," she said flippantly. "It's just something I'm going to have to get used to; not having any real privacy with you unless we're out in the wilderness somewhere."

There was surely a way to remedy that.

Bella wiggled around, getting a little more comfortable. "So I guess they were pretty wild?"

I nodded. "They still are."

"Do you think that…? I mean, did it seem like fun?"

I knit my brows as I tried to figure out where she was going with this. "I don't know," I said hesitantly. "I suppose it was for them."

"Is that um, something you would want to try?" She glanced away shyly.

"Try what?" I asked dumbly.

"You know…. Rough sex."

Oh.

"I don't think that'd be possible for us," I answered sincerely.

She stiffened in my arms. "What? Why not?"

"You're not…" How could I put it without offending her? "There's a lot of throwing, clawing, thrashing and biting. I don't think I could honestly do anything that could potentially hurt you."

"Edward, I could handle it."

"Maybe," I allowed. "But like I said in the meadow; it goes against every instinct of mine to willingly put you in harm's way."

"Please?" she pleaded, pushing her lower lip out in an adorable pout. "I don't want to spend eternity knowing you're holding back."

"I'm not holding back. It's just not in my nature to want that."

"You don't know unless you try. I want to try everything with you once."

That could be taken in quite a few different ways, and I wasn't entirely sure what her meaning was so I skipped over it for now.

That didn't mean that I didn't file it away for future musings.

"We'll try it. When we're completely alone. But if I hurt you-"

"Deal," she said with a grin. "I'll stop you with the slightest pinch."

I huffed out a breath, irritated with myself that I'd let her walk all over me like that.

"Fine."

* * *

**Bella**

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around my body as I padded over to the mirror in the Cullen's large, white marble bathroom. I knew that all the wolves' human form looked different than it had before their first change, but since I'd been stuck in wolf form until Edward's return, I hadn't had a chance to see what it had done to me. Now that I had the opportunity, I was a little uneasy about it.

Alice had said I looked amazing; Edward had said I was beautiful enough to stun him. I knew they wouldn't lie to me, but I couldn't help but doubt their words. I was a product of an imprint, currently the only one of my kind, and it honestly made me feel a little like a freak. Who knew what kind of affect it had on me?

I summoned my strength with a deep breath and wiped the fog away from the mirror in a circular motion so that I could finally—really—take a look at myself for the first time since I'd phased.

My mouth gaped open, and I was instantly riveted by what I saw. The reflection of the girl was so… perfect, indescribably beautiful. Her dark hair hung limply around her face and her deep brown eyes were wide with shock. Her skin was dewy with the moisture in the air, luminous in the light that cast down on her.

Happiness streaked through me as I finally comprehended that it was _me_ that I was gazing at. There were still pieces of my old self staring back at me, shining through in the way I was smiling, but I was—without a shadow of a doubt—infinitely better looking than I was before.

I'd been slightly self-conscious before, but who wouldn't around all these gorgeous supernatural beings? I wasn't a vain person by any means, but now, I finally looked like I belonged with Edward, and that was more important to me than any of these physical changes that phasing had caused. It was almost giddying to know that I could stand by his side in a crowded room and no longer look pitiful next to him.

I got dressed hurriedly, throwing on the jeans and deep purple sweater Alice had handed me haphazardly and then searched through the vanity for a brush so that my hair didn't dry in a mess of tangles on my head. When I was finished, I quietly opened the door and started downstairs to find Edward… _before_ Alice had a chance to intercept again.

The scent of food hit me when I'd gotten halfway down the stairs, causing my stomach to rumble loudly and my mouth to water desperately. I gripped the banister and stared down at my feet as I continued my descent so that I didn't trip—after all, old habits die hard—only to slam face first into a stone wall.

"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my forehead.

I glanced up and nearly cowered back as soon as I realized that the person I'd run into was Rosalie. The hostile expression on her face was enough for me to know that nothing had changed between us in the months that she'd been away. For whatever reason, she still didn't like me.

"Sorry, I um, I was trying not to uh… fall," I stammered. My eyes darted around the room, focusing on anything but her face again. "But I don't really know why. I don't trip anymore."

"Edward probably wouldn't be pleased if you did," she said tersely.

"No."

She sniffed at the air around me and tilted her head to the side as if she was trying to figure something out. "You don't stink," she said flatly.

I bristled. "Excuse me?"

"The wolves. They stink. Like some kind of foul, wet dog. But you don't," she explained.

"Oh. Uh, thanks, I think."

My eyes widened as she laughed softly. "You smell like strawberries. Your blood always got in the way of that before, but now I see what Edward was talking about. It's nice."

I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks.

"But that is not," she snapped. "You need to learn how to take a compliment. You'll be getting them a lot now."

Without another word, she sidestepped me and flew up the steps, leaving me completely baffled.

"Ooookay," I breathed, shaking the confusion off.

I walked into the kitchen to find Edward and Esme huddled over a recipe book while something sizzled in a pan on the stove.

"Hey," Edward greeted with a smile, taking the tongs and deftly flipping what was in the pan. "Hungry?"

My stomach snarled, answering the question for me.

"I should have fed you sooner," he said with a frown. "I'm sorry."

I waved him off. "It's fine. I didn't realize I was hungry until I smelled the food. Since when do vampires know how to cook?" I asked, glancing around at the enormous amount of food. "And how many people are you planning to feed?"

"I went a little overboard," Esme admitted. "But I thought you could take some home with you when you go."

"Sounds great. What am I eating tonight?"

"Pan-seared Ahi tuna with avocado, lime and ginger risotto, sautéed asparagus, and there's even bread in the top oven," Esme said proudly.

My face must have given away my opinion on that, because Esme immediately started flailing around the kitchen, blurring as she raced around to gather a few other things.

"I also have a pork loin and a package of chicken breasts in one of those sacks over there if you don't like it. There's bacon, eggs, scones," she paused, "and pretty much the entire produce department too."

"No, that's okay. I just don't like sushi." I fought back the shudder that came with just thinking about eating something raw. "If it's cooked all the way through, I'll eat it. Is that… doable?"

"I don't see why not." She smiled warmly. "It's been good to get back in the kitchen. I can't believe how much I've forgotten since I was a human. Or how many gadgets I had lying around. I had to have Edward Google how to use half of them."

I giggled. "Well, thank you. I appreciate this. But next time, you can order pizza. I'm not particular."

"No! Why order pizza when there's someone to actually use the kitchen?"

"If you're sure…"

"Absolutely."

As soon as Esme turned her attention back to the fish, I slid a "what the hell?" look over at Edward. He chuckled and led me outside, closing the door behind us and walking us far enough away from the house so that she couldn't hear him.

"What would you have had me do?" he asked lowly. "She was excited."

"Rein her in?" I whispered back. "I mean, it's okay this once, but as long as the fridge is stocked, I can make something myself. She doesn't need to fuss over me all the time."

"Well," he said thoughtfully. "You have a couple of more days before you have to go back to Charlie's, so Esme will want to _fuss_ _over you_ while you're here. If it bothers you, help her."

"Would she let me?"

"It'd mean spending some time with you. So yes, she would."

It was worth a shot. "Okay."

Edward and I went back inside and put all of the groceries away while Esme watched everything she was cooking so vigilantly, it was almost comical. We helped her finish everything up, and I gave her a few tips that I'd learned in all my years cooking for Renee and Charlie. She seemed to welcome the information and remembered some of it from her human life as soon as she heard the suggestion.

When she'd plated it to perfection, I sat down at the table next to Edward and took my first bite, trying to ignore her watchful eye as I did.

"It's good," I mumbled. And it really was.

She beamed. "It is? Oh, good!"

"You two did a great job. Thank you." I leaned over and kissed Edward's cheek. "Both of you."

"You're welcome," they responded together, both obviously pleased with themselves.

I was silent, too busy eating to worry about carrying on a conversation. I'd watched the other pack members eat, disgusted by the way they shoveled food into their mouths, and now it seemed that I wasn't any different. When I cleared my plate, I had Edward dish out the rest of the food out for me, very nearly eating enough for three average humans. Being a female wolf made no difference to my stomach; I ate just as much as the male members in the pack did, possibly more.

When I didn't think I could stuff myself any further, I leaned back away from the table and groaned. "I'm full."

Edward smirked down at my empty plate. "Are you sure?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. I'm sure."

"I haven't really paid much attention to the amount of food that a human consumes, but that seemed a bit… excessive," he remarked. "And I don't remember you eating that much before."

"I didn't," I replied. "It's a wolf thing. We eat… a lot," I finished lamely.

"So you may not have anything to take home to Charlie," Esme teased. "In fact, I may have to go to the store again tomorrow."

I had a feeling that Esme would thrive in all that domesticity.

But there was one domestic chore I wasn't going to let her do. "You cooked, so that means I clean."

"Oh, no, Bella, that's not necessary-"

I cut Esme off. "No. It's something my parents taught me. It doesn't always happen at Charlie's house since he's usually so beat by the time he finishes dinner, but he tries."

"Just for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll do the dishes," she countered.

I hesitated to agree with her.

"Please?" she implored, grinning. "I have nothing better to do."

"Well, when you put it that way… Okay."

I got up after Esme left the room and filled the sink with soapy water so that I could scrub the dishes. Edward came up behind me and put both his hands on the counter, trapping me as he nuzzled into my neck while I rinsed the sauté pan used for the asparagus.

"You are aware that Esme would have this done in a matter of seconds, right?"

"Yes, but I couldn't let her do everything. It's bad manners." I grabbed another pan and turned my head so that I could see him. "But it probably isn't completely rude if I ask my mate to help. Especially if it means we can go back upstairs sooner."

He grabbed the pan out of my hand and had it washed and rinsed before I could blink. "Anything else?"

"There's still a plate left," I snickered.

He fished it out of the water and repeated the process. "All right, let's go."

"Someone's eager."

He pulled me away from the sink with a playful smile. "Always."

* * *

I pulled my truck into the spot in front of the house behind Charlie's cruiser and cut the engine, shaking a little with the cab as it sputtered in protest. I peered out past the rain that smattered my windows into the dark. The porch light was on, illuminating the tiny stoop and oak door for anyone who might stop by. The glow of the TV flickered in the window, alerting me to Charlie's whereabouts inside. I bit down on my lip and willed myself to get out, only to remain frozen in my seat.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't watch Charlie's face crumple in pain or the anger that was bound to flash in his brown eyes when I finally explained to him where I'd been all this time and _why_. What I had to tell him would cut him deeply, and it didn't matter how necessary I knew it all was—especially if I wanted him to continue to be in my life—I didn't want to be the one responsible for hurting him like that.

I knew that none of it was my fault. Everything that had happened to me was simply a result of the unwanted love my mother and Billy had for each other, but it didn't seem to help me any. I felt more guilt over what I was about to do than I should. Regardless of genetics or freaky imprints, the man inside that small, white house was the only father I'd ever known. He'd picked me up off the ground when I fell, doctored the uncountable scrapes and cuts I got as a child, and consoled me when I missed Renee during those first few summer visits with him. He'd been there for me every day for the last eighteen years, and the love, the need, I had for him wasn't something that this recent revelation could change anytime soon—if ever.

So how could I go inside and break his heart?

A rap on the driver's side window startled me, and I jumped in my seat until I realized that it was Edward standing outside the door, watching me with a concerned expression on his face. Rivulets of water streaked down his face and dripped off his jaw, and droplets of rain caught in his eyelashes and sparkled in the light as he shifted back so that I could see him better.

The effect was captivating, and I found that I was practically drooling over the gorgeous creature watching me cautiously.

I quickly shook myself out of my daze before I could make myself look like a _total_ idiot. I was pretty sure I already looked like a fool, but at least I hadn't completely humiliated myself. Not this time, anyway. I still had eternity to embarrass myself in front of him.

He quietly opened the door and gave me a crooked grin that didn't quite reach his amber eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I mean, no. Not really. I know it's for the best, but I can't-"

He put his cool hand over my lips. "You can. And you know you have to. Even if you put it off for a few years, you can't hide the fact that you're not aging any more. One of these days, he'll notice. Although, I'm sure he'll notice that you left for this trip looking like a teenager and came home looking like a twenty-something year old woman. So it's a moot point. He has to know something."

He moved his hand so I could speak. "I know."

"Unless you'd rather not tell him everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you didn't want to continue phasing so that you can eventually grow old and have a normal, mortal life, we could leave certain things out. I'm selfish enough to want you forever, but I'm not arrogant enough to expect you to do it for me."

"Edward, I'll always want to be with you. Sure, the life I have now will someday no longer exist, and I'll mourn the loss of my friends and family, but none of it would mean anything without you. So it's a moot point," I said, repeating his words with a smile.

"Okay." He shoved his wet hair off his forehead and reached for me. "Let's get this over with."

I stepped out into the rain and took a calming breath. "Yeah."

"He's in a relatively good mood. His thoughts are almost always a little vague to me, but he's thinking that the Mariners' shortstop is an incompetent jackass, and that he misses you. There are other things too, but those are the vague parts. I can't quite get a handle on them." He paused and furrowed his brow. "Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing, just something on the game," he said smoothly. Almost too smooth.

"Is he always like that?" I asked, referring back to Charlie's vague thoughts.

Edward nodded. "Usually. He's not completely silent like _some people_," he teased, "but he's not as clear as most, either."

"You're funny."

"I try." He kissed me and pushed away the hair that was steadily becoming rain soaked out of my eyes and lifting the hood up on my coat. "I'll get your bags and be up in a minute."

I squeezed his forearm in thanks, knowing that he was giving me a few last moments alone with my father before I had to change his world entirely.

The rain started to fall harder, so I rushed up the stoop and into the house before I could get any wetter. Charlie rushed through the kitchen doorway and into the living room with a can of Vitamin R in one hand and his gun, pointing toward me, in the other.

"You scared me," he said sternly. "I didn't know who was stupid enough to break into the Chief of Police's house, but they weren't going to get away with it."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

He set the can of beer down and reached over to mute the cheers of the crowd in the baseball stadium so that he could talk to me.

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be home until tomorrow."

"I know." I shrugged, hoping to play it off until Edward came inside. "But I'm here."

He stared at me for a moment before walking toward me. The intensity of his gaze had me fidgeting nervously and wondering if this was what made him such a good cop. I felt like squealing like a stuck pig and spilling all the secrets I was holding on my tongue without him so much as uttering a single sound.

The gun in his hand didn't help matters any, even though rationally, I knew he would never even consider using it on me.

"You look different, Bells. Good, but different. Did you do something to your hair?"

A relieved laugh burst out of my chest, causing him to cock his head to the side questioningly. Leave it to Charlie to think that the reason for me looking so different could be explained by a change of my hair.

"Yeah. Angela and I got bored one night and played around with it."

"Oh." He glanced back at the floor behind me. "Where are your bags? Did you leave them in the car?"

"Um, no, not exactly…"

"Then where are they?"

"They're… well…"

I heard Edward turning the knob and moved aside so that he had room to come in. He was hunched over from the rain, pretending to act as if it bothered him—like a human would. He started through the door just as I heard the loud boom from Charlie's gun and felt a streak of wind rush past my cheek.

The bullet pierced Edward's coat and ricocheted off his stone shoulder, immediately lodging itself in the wall across from him and sending a trail of drywall dust down to the floor.

"Hmm. I was actually pretty fond of this coat," he said casually, examining the hole in the fabric with an annoyed expression.

Charlie backed up with a stricken look on his face. "What _are _you?"

"Dad, I-"

"Oh, my God! Charlie?" a female voice called from the kitchen. "Charlie, are you okay?"

"Fine, Sue," Charlie managed, never taking his eyes off of Edward.

Sue… _Clearwater_?

Sue rushed into the living room and threw her hand up over her heart. "I thought you'd been shot!"

"Nope. He shot my boyfriend," I replied shortly, trying to maintain some semblance of composure as my eyes darted around the room. A glass of water sat on the coffee table, and Sue's purse sat in the floor next to me. Her car was pulled in front of the neighbor's house, but I'd been so preoccupied with myself that I hadn't even noticed it.

The room shook as my body vibrated with an emotion I couldn't really place. I wasn't angry that Sue was here; it was more like is dumbfounded that Charlie was seeing anyone at all. Maybe it was just the stress of the situation that had me itching to phase. I didn't know since this was the first time it'd ever happened to me.

"Bella?" Sue asked hesitantly. "Do you need to step outside?"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, waiting until I'd stopped shaking before I reopened them and focused on Edward's worried face.

"Just something on the game, huh?" I asked, arching my brow at Edward.

His lips twitched. "It didn't seem like my place to say anything."

Sue's eyes finally landed on Edward, and understanding colored her face. "Give me the gun, Charlie."

"What?"

"Give me the gun. It'll do no good here." She held her hand out expectantly.

Grumbling, he roughly put the gun in her hand. "It's obvious that it'll do no good. The kid didn't even bleed."

"What is wrong with you, anyway?" I demanded. "Since when did you start randomly shooting people that barge through you door?"

"It's been a long day, and you walked in and scared me. I was…"

"Frazzled?" I supplied.

A gruff laugh came out of his mouth. "I guess. I want answers, Bella."

I sighed. "That's why I'm here."

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

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* * *

Chapter 5

**Bella**

"So then, explain," Charlie prompted, taking a deep breath. "I'm doing my best not to freak out here, but that's not going to last much longer."

"I know, I know," I muttered. "Sit down."

He stiffened. "No, thank you. I know how conversations that begin with 'sit down' go. I can handle it standing, Bella."

"No, really, Dad. Sit down," I said firmly. "There's a lot to tell."

His eyes darted over to Edward, flashing with something I couldn't quite place before he finally relented. "Okay."

We all settled ourselves in the living room; I sat on the couch with Edward, Charlie sat in his recliner, and Sue sort of hovered in between, though I didn't know why. It wasn't like they could bother trying to hide anything anymore. She might as well just sit on Charlie's lap, for all it mattered now.

Charlie motioned wildly around the room. "Well, I'm sitting, Bella. Are you going to tell me why the Cullen kid didn't bleed when I shot him? Does he have some sort of full body Kevlar under that coat?"

"What is going on with you?" I countered. "You're being awfully nonchalant about shooting Edward."

He pressed his lips together as he stared at the floor. "I uh…"

"Aren't you even sorry?" I demanded.

"Of course I'm sorry. I'm just… This day has just gotten progressively worse and-"

Edward startled me by abruptly shifting forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "What happened in Sequim?"

Charlie's eyes widened in astonishment. "How…?"

"He reads minds," I said, chewing on my lip as I waited for his reaction.

"You," he swallowed thickly. "You read _minds_?"

"Everyone but Bella's," Edward admitted.

"Uh-huh," he responded doubtfully.

"No one mind is like another," Edward continued. "There are times when getting a clear, conscious thought from someone requires concentration, and then there are times when I can't help but overhear their thoughts."

"Except for Bella."

Edward nodded. "She blocks me out completely, without trying. Her silence is… relaxing."

Charlie's face went blank as he stared back at Edward, causing him to huff a little in frustration.

"I know it's difficult to wrap your mind around," Edward said softly, "but you need to try. This is just the beginning of what we need to tell you."

Sue reached out and squeezed Charlie's shoulder. "It's okay," she soothed. "Think of it as fiction."

Charlie broke out of his daze and gave Sue an incredulous look. "You know about all this, don't you? That's why you told me the gun would do no good. Why you're not screaming in fear like most women would. It's got nothing to do with full body armor."

She nodded. "It's something you know, too, Charlie. You're just not thinking outside the box."

He took a deep breath. "Outside the box. Given the day I had today, I don't think that'll be too hard."

"Dad, what happened today?" I asked worriedly. "It's not like you to wave your gun around and shoot whoever walks through your door." I was repeating myself, but he'd not really given me an actual answer for his uncharacteristic behavior yet.

"You don't want to know," Charlie replied.

I nearly pouted. "I can handle it. You have no idea what I can handle."

"We need to know, sir. It may be related to a few instances my family and the tribe are dealing with," Edward said seriously.

Charlie sighed in resignation. "It was awful," he said lowly. "Blood was everywhere, smattered across the walls and pooled on the floors. The woman's neck looked like… like something had ripped her throat open and drained her dry."

"Oh, my God," I whispered shakily, exchanging a look with Edward. "Victoria."

He didn't answer, although, he didn't need to. There was no other explanation.

Charlie continued like I hadn't spoken. "In all my years on the force, I've never seen anything like this. And she's not the only person they've found this way. All along the coast, people have been turning up with their throats torn open and hardly a drop of blood left in their bodies. We're at a loss as to who it could be." He chuckled dryly. "Or _what_."

"You're closer with the _what_," Edward replied gravely, dragging his hand through his hair.

Charlie's eyes snapped to Edward's. "You think it's an animal? One of the deputies in Sequim suggested a bear, but it was localized; no damage anywhere on the body except for the neck. It didn't look like any bear attack I've ever seen."

Edward shook his head. "No, it's not an animal."

Charlie waited for him to elaborate, but Edward was too deep in thought to continue.

"We'll need to discuss this with the tribe. We can't have her killing innocent people while she tries to figure out how to get to you," he muttered to me too lowly for Charlie and Sue to hear.

Edward then focused back on Charlie again. "How many victims?"

"Ten."

"In how short of a time frame?"

"I don't know exactly. No more than a week."

"That's entirely too many for one vampire," Edward said, almost too fast for me to catch it. "Even a newborn can't consume that much blood in that amount of time."

I leaned forward, desperate to know where he was going with this. "What?"

His thoughts suddenly went in a different direction. "This is going to attract the Volturi to our area. I need to see if Alice has seen anything to that effect yet. Although, with the wolves in the picture now, Alice's visions are practically nonexistent and utterly useless."

"Bella, what's he talking about?" Charlie asked warily.

My throat was suddenly dry with the implications of what Edward was rambling about. Edward had spoken about the Volturi before. They were his kind's version of royalty, the only group that upheld the few laws that vampires had. They were reverently feared and respected by everyone, and the vampires just crazy enough to refute their rule… were quickly taken out.

"It's a vampire. Her name is Victoria," I croaked.

Edward's arms were around me in an instant. "Hey, it's all right," he said into my ear. "They won't come after us unless there's a reason. We've given them none."

I nodded once, instantly comforted. I was no longer considered human. It wasn't against vampirelaw for me to know of their existence.

Charlie snorted. "A vampire. Right."

"You can't deny the logic based on the similarities to everything you've read about us," Edward replied calmly.

"Wait, what?" Charlie rasped. "_Us_? You're trying to tell me you're a…"

Edward nodded tightly. "Things aren't always what they appear to be, Chief Swan. My family doesn't prey on humans; rather, we live off of the blood of animals." Edward paused. "Yes, it's why I've never eaten dinner with you or Bella."

Charlie's face tightened as he realized that Edward had been reading his thoughts. "So is this what you came here to tell me? That you're some kind of walking dead?"

"That's part of it," I hedged, earning a scowl from Edward.

"Bella," he laughed, watching me fidget in my seat. "Be serious."

"We are!"

Charlie shook his head obstinately. "I can see where you two can say Edward's a… telepath. The way he knew about Sequim could have been attributed to something his father said. It's rare, and usually a hoax, but I can't deny the fact that he knew that I was thinking back to all those times he refused to eat dinner with us. So I'll give it to you. But a vampire? Do I look like one of those idiots paying homage to Roswell to you?"

Sue grabbed Charlie's arm, forcing him to look over at her. "They're not lying. Think about the Quileute legends you heard Billy and Harry speak about for all those years. Doesn't any of this sound familiar?"

"Sure it does," he replied. "It sounds like old folk lore."

"You're not thinking very far outside the box. In fact, that box is sealed shut with you inside, you stubborn man."

I busied myself with a pulled thread at the hem of my shirt so that I didn't laugh at my father's petulant face.

He cleared his throat. "Okay, let's just say this is all real. Your legends are true. What does that have to do with my daughter?"

"I'm part of the legends," I whispered.

Charlie's face turned down angrily. "What are you talking about? You're not Quileute. How can you be a part of their legends?"

"That's just it," I said shakily. "I am."

"Are what?"

I opened my mouth to say the words and found that no matter how hard I tried, they just wouldn't come. Edward's eyes went wide with alarm as my heart started racing in my chest.

"Bella?" He pushed my hair away from my face so that he could see me. "You're heart's flying, love. You have to calm down or you'll shift," he murmured.

I broke out into a panicked sweat and shook my head, trying to stay focused so that I didn't turn into some monstrous heap of fur on the couch. "I can't do it, Edward."

"Okay," he whispered, letting his fingers stroke my cheek. His icy touch felt so good on my flustered skin. "It's okay. You _can_ do this, baby. I know you can. You just don't want to."

I groaned, knowing he was right. I was fighting the inevitable. The pack and council had both understood my desire to keep him in my life. They'd agreed with every point I'd made to defend my decision, therefore lifting the gag order that kept us from trying to tell outsiders about anything supernatural. There were too many variables, too many things Charlie would eventually find suspicious not to.

"Bells, you're scaring me. What are you trying to say?" Charlie asked, giving me that concerned look that only a father could, effectively ripping me apart.

"I'm not your daughter," I said, fighting back sobs. "I'm Billy's."

He looked horrified. "What did you say?"

"Oh, Jesus," I sniffled, not sure if I could say those words again.

Edward, God bless him, knew that I'd make a mess of the explanation and took over for me. Sue recited the Quileute legend of Taha Aki and tied it into the wolf pack, stating that we all had shifted because of the return of vampires—the Cullens—to this area. Once certain that he heard them—even if he didn't believe any of it—they then listed off each tribe member that had shifted, including me, before finally closing it out with the story Billy had told us about imprinting on my mother.

I was a wreck the entire time, chewing on my nails and lips, all while my heart fluttered nervously in my chest as I awaited Charlie's reaction. There was even a moment or two when his facial expression had my stomach threatening to empty itself all over the floor.

Charlie was utterly still as he processed the news, unblinking; frozen. The color drained from his face, searing the picture of his heartbroken reaction into my brain for eternity. I rocked anxiously in my seat, slowly moving closer to the edge of the couch as I tried to gauge what was going through his mind and come up with a way to help him cope somehow.

Edward's unyielding arm was suddenly in front of me, holding me in place. With a minute shake of his head, I slumped helplessly back against the couch as my vision blurred with the tears I refused to cry.

I wouldn't make this worse for him.

"Let him be," he murmured. "He's all right."

I nodded once, but I really didn't believe it. Charlie was rigid in his recliner, and his face was slowly turning an unhealthy shade of red… no, purple. His gaze met mine, and I was startled at the fury that burned there.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry, Dad," I breathed, even though I knew those words meant nothing right now. But I had to say something, _anything_, to make try to make it better, which was the dumbest thing I could have ever considered. Nothing I did or said would help.

"That son of a bitch!" he boomed, surprising us all.

He abruptly snatched the gun from Sue's hands and stood up. He stomped toward the front door with a murderous expression on his face.

Edward gasped as he read Charlie's mind, immediately racing across the room at vampire speed and disarming the gun before the humans could realize what he was doing.

The bullets fell to the ground; the plinking sound as they bounced across the room pulled my father out of his angered haze.

"It's not worth it, Chief Swan," Edward said calmly. "My family just established peace with them. The situation's tense, at best. Anything could cause them to change their mind, which in turn, will affect Bella."

Charlie gaped down at the gun, now in pieces in Edward's hands, and stumbled back to the recliner. He fell back and put his head in his hands.

"You weren't lying. You're a… a…" he choked on the word "vampire".

"Vampire, yes," Edward said smoothly. "I was born in Chicago, 1901."

"I think I'm going to be sick."

Edward's lips twitched. "It's understandable."

"That means she's…" Charlie's air came out in a rush. "My daughter shifts into a wolf."

* * *

I snuggled deeper against Edward's hard body, wishing that we were in that oversized bed of his instead of this creaking, tiny one in my bedroom at Charlie's. I couldn't relax; no matter how I draped my body over his, I couldn't seem to find that perfect spot so that I could finally fall asleep.

I was exhausted, yes, but I was still reeling from our conversation with Charlie, maybe even panicking a little still. Sure he'd called me his daughter, a sentiment that was incredibly warming, but I'd not spoken to him since he'd rushed out of the room with the realization that none of us were lying to him; that vampires and werewolves and things that went bump in the night weren't fictitious, but real.

I felt like a weight had been lifted now that he knew about my ability to phase, but it came with a price. To see the anguished look on his face as he pieced together the puzzle of his past with my mother; to see her abrupt departure when I was a baby finally make sense was something I would give anything to be able to erase from memory, from existence.

Hours later, I still wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I only knew that Charlie had grabbed a beer from the fridge and went out the back door to sit and "process" everything, as Edward said. I'd wanted to go after him, but Edward had instructed me to stay and give him some breathing room. So the job of making sure Charlie was all right went to Sue instead of me, which was probably for the best. They seemed to have this… ease with each other. I'd been pretty sure that I would only make things worse at that point since I was sobbing so hard.

Once I calmed down, Edward and I went through the charade of goodbye, and I took a shower and got ready for bed while I waited for him to come back. With the threat of Victoria looming over my head, Edward wasn't willing to leave me alone for even a second, and Charlie had enough to deal with without also knowing that the vampire terrorizing the area was really only after me; we needed to make things appear as normal as possible for him. Edward and the tribe had come up with a plan: once Jacob and Sam were standing guard in the woods, he'd drive his Volvo out of view so that Emmett could come pick it up without being seen and then sneak through my bedroom window to stay with me overnight.

The wolves wouldn't leave until morning, and even then, they'd only be traded out for a pair of rested pack members. Charlie and I weren't to be left unguarded until Edward and the rest of his family could talk and figure out why the amount of vampire kills was so high.

Through all the drama and danger surrounding us, being here with Edward like this felt good—as it should. It reminded me of all those months ago when we were first discovering each other and how happy we'd been, but this was better. We weren't at a stalemate about the issue of me becoming a vampire, and we were closer—better—than we were before.

In every way.

My body wanted to take him; my mind begged for a distraction. I tried to push the thought of sex away and wiggled against Edward, hoping to get more comfortable, only to accidentally graze him with my ass and hear his low moan reverberate in my ear and straight through my body.

Yeah, I was never going to sleep like this.

Edward's cold fingers moved under my shirt, stroking the arch of my back lightly. "Problems?"

"Not any more than you," I replied playfully, rolling over to face him.

"Your father is still awake." He lifted his eyes to the window. "With Sue."

"What are they doing?" I asked before slapping my hand over my mouth squeezing my eyes shut against that line of thought. "Nope. Never mind. I don't need to know."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, love. They're talking," he chuckled.

"Oh." My bottom lip jutted out a little. "I can't help it."

He brought his finger to my lips, tracing them with a smile, and then pressed his own lips to them. He kissed me softly before that spark that constantly flowed between us ignited a fire and demand so strong, I instantly found myself lying flat on my back with Edward positioned in between my legs.

I pushed up into him and moaned into his mouth as our bodies met, desperate to feel him inside me again.

If only he had less self-control.

He jerked himself back and pulled in a ragged breath. He kept his head bowed as he focused on not stripping me naked which, unfortunately, had me aching even more for him.

"We have to stop, Bella."

I let my arms flop against the bed and sighed. "Fine."

He finally raised his head to look at me. His eyes were black as night, and his face was contorted into a snarl as he fought against the urge to mate with me.

"Good Lord, that's hot," I whispered stupidly.

It was obviously the right thing to say since Edward visibly relaxed and let a slow smile cross his features. "Glad you like it."

I shrugged, trying to pretend to be unaffected, something that was absolutely useless. Thanks to his heightened senses, I'd never be able to hide my arousal from him. "Sure, it's okay. I mean, I guess it's nice enough to look at for all eternity," I teased.

He laughed under his breath and moved beside me, enveloping me in his arms once again. "Get some sleep," he instructed.

I nodded and closed my eyes as I settled against him. I tried to get comfortable again, only to find that every position I tried left me with some ailment; a crick in my neck, an arm tingling from lack of blood flow, a stone pillow against my cheek.

I huffed as I gave up and twisted so that I could see him better.

"I can't get comfortable. This is ridiculous. You can just go home. No need for both of us to be uncomfortable."

He smiled. "Vampires don't have body aches and stiff joints, remember? I could lie in this exact position for days and never feel a difference."

I frowned."Oh, yeah."

"But if you want me to go home…"

I shook my head against his chest. "No, don't," I whispered, feeling tears prick at my eyes again.

He heard my breath hitch and tightened his hold on me. "It's okay. He's okay."

"No, he's not," I cried. I immediately shot up and stared down at Edward's shirt, stained with the tears I couldn't help but cry earlier. "I ruined your shirt."

He sat up and gently took my face in my hands, peering down at me intently. "You're more important to me than a piece of cotton."

I wiped at my eyes. "I know. I just don't want to cry anymore."

"Crying is cleansing, and it's expected given the circumstances."

"Yeah." I yawned, and then I grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry."

He cocked his head to the side and flashed me a crooked grin. "I'd tell you to go to sleep again, but Charlie's on his way up."

"What?"

He kissed me lightly. "I'll be just outside."

By the time I opened my eyes, he was out of sight. Knowing that he could hear me, I grumbled a few choice words about his sudden departure as I lay back down so that it looked like I wasn't randomly sitting up in bed in the dark.

Edward's responding laugh made me smile widely.

Charlie opened the door, hesitating for a moment, before quietly stepping inside the room.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hey. Were you asleep?" he asked as he came over to the bed.

"No." I sat up and waited until he was sitting beside me to continue. "I'm sorry."

He looked puzzled. "What for?"

"For… _everything_. For having to introduce you to this world, for Billy. I know we just laid it all on you at once, but I didn't know how to tell-"

"Bells, I'm okay."

I blinked rapidly. "Seriously?"

"Well, as far as you're concerned, I am."

I furrowed my brows at that vague statement. "What does that mean?"

"It means," he started, stopping to clear his throat nervously. "It means that I don't care about phasing or genetics. You're my daughter."

My eyes stung with tears. "Thank God. I don't care about that stuff either. You're my dad. Billy is just…" I trailed off when I saw the flash of fury in his eyes.

It was enough for me to make like Harry Potter and say the words, "He-who-must-not-be-named" when referring to Billy Black.

"Right," I said awkwardly. "Sorry… Again."

"Don't be, Bella. It's not your fault at all."

I nodded and stared down at the floor.

He cleared his throat again, causing my lips to twitch with the sound. "I- I love you," he stammered. "And I'm proud of the way you've handled this. I just wanted you to know that."

I sniffled. "I love you."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him with a quick squeeze and then released me. "So… the Cullen kid? Are you sure about this?"

"Dad, I'm positive. I'd get into the supernatural explanation, but it's not necessary. I love him. He's everything to me."

He groaned. "I was afraid of that."

"What's wrong with Edward? And please don't tell me it's because he's a vampire."

"Well, now that you mention it… He doesn't suck your blood, does he? That's just a little too creepy for me to look past," he joked.

I laughed. "No. His family isn't any different than us. They just use a different part of the animal than we do."

His demeanor suddenly shifted. "He left you, Bella. He destroyed you. I was just finally starting to get you back. I can't risk him doing it again," he said seriously.

"He won't."

"You don't know that."

I grinned. "I do. It goes back to that supernatural thing I was telling you about. He's tied to me. He can't leave me any more than I could leave him."

"All right," he sighed in resignation. "I'll let you get some sleep then."

He started to get up, but I grabbed his hand to stop him. "How long have you and Sue… you know."

"Um, six months, I guess. We only kept it a secret because it didn't seem right to flaunt something like that in front of you while you were trying to deal with your break-up with Edward," he answered stiffly.

"How'd it happen? I mean, we've known the Clearwaters for years."

"Well, after Harry died, she was pretty messed up, so I kind of helped her out as much as I could with things. I guess in the last year or so she got over it, and then one night at the diner, we just… clicked."

I smiled. "Okay."

"Is it really? Okay, I mean."

"Are you happy?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

"Then it's better than okay."

* * *

**Edward**

I stayed frozen in place the entire night, unwilling to do anything to disturb Bella's peaceful slumber. I waited impatiently, as I did every night since I'd come back to Forks, for her to breathe my name. It never ceased to melt my dead heart when she did.

I'd thought I knew what it meant to love her. She'd meant everything before my return, so much that I sacrificed my own happiness so that she could be protected and live life as I selfishly saw fit. But now, I was realizing just how wrong I was. Everything was a novelty to me, intense and eye-opening. She could repeat the same action—say the same words repetitiously until she grew tired—and it would illicit the same reaction in me every time.

Complete and utter joy.

Everything had shifted for us now. We were fully bonded, mated and imprinted. From the instant I realized I loved her, my life had meant nothing. Or so I thought. I was beginning to realize that I had no concept of the idea before. I would have protected her, laid down my life for her; done everything in my power to keep her safe and happy, but it was always tinged with my own desires. Little things that I did, knowing that they'd please her with my own wants guiding me. Now, there was none of that. I no longer mattered, existed. She was it, my sole focus now.

It was more than words could explain. Nothing I'd read or heard, in all my years on this planet, could do it justice.

My cell phone started to ring in my pocket, so I quickly fished it out and answered it before it could fully ring and wake Bella.

"Yeah?" I whispered, seeing Alice's number on the display.

"Edward, what's Charlie doing?" she asked anxiously.

I sighed. I'd been avoiding Charlie's thoughts all night long, trying to give him as much privacy as possible, but it was hard. Even his foggy dreams were full of rage, bitterness, and resentment. At one point, he broadcasted a loss so profound, it was almost enough to bring tears to even the most hardened man's eyes. It was then that I'd stopped listening entirely, using my years of experience to put up a wall and concentrate on something else. I knew Bella would ask me how he was doing, and I didn't want to be the one to have to tell her. At least this way, I could honestly tell her that I wasn't sure. It would have been hours since I'd last listened in on Charlie's thoughts and dreams.

I focused on everything around us; I pushed the sounds of Bella's even breathing and the rustling of leaves to the background. A dog barked in the distance, a buck snorted just inside the line of trees behind Bella's house, and Charlie's footsteps pounded across the hardwood floor. His keys jingled in his hand as he opened the front door, slamming it unceremoniously behind him. I counted his steps across the lawn to the cruiser as I tried to make sense of the red haze that was clouding his mind. The click of the starter, followed by the quiet rumble of its engine, and finally his intent was clear.

La Push.

In a flash, I'd extricated myself from Bella and was peering out the window to where Charlie was getting ready to pull out onto the road. The sun was shining brightly through the gap in the clouds, and I quickly scanned the area for a way to stop him before he left the house, only to find that I was blocked at every turn. It was as if every single person living in this neighborhood had decided to choose this particular moment to landscape and sweep their porches, leaving me absolutely helpless to stop him from maneuvering around Bella's truck and driving down the road.

I cursed. "I can't stop him without exposing us. What did you see?"

"Nothing, of course," she griped. "I only know what the aftermath will be. I don't know what he's planning or… or _anything_, really. I can't see you because of Bella, and I can't see him because he's on the reservation. I just know that it will cause a huge strain between our family and the tribe, and Bella has enough issues to deal with. She doesn't need another."

Like I'd said, absolutely useless. "Thanks," I said, anyway. She had at least gotten me to start paying attention to Charlie's grief again, just in time to catch his intentions as he left the house. "I'll call you later."

I ended the call and shoved the phone back in my pocket while I pulled a pair of jeans, a blue button up shirt, and a pair of shoes out of Bella's closet for her. A quick stop at her underwear drawer, and I was hovering over her, gently shaking her awake.

"Hmm?" she asked sleepily. "It's Sunday. I know you don't sleep, but at least_ I_ can, Edward."

She opened one eye when I didn't laugh, furrowing her brow as she noticed my serious expression.

"What?"

"Get up. We need to go to La Push. Now."

She sat up and stretched. Venom pooled in my mouth with the sight. I shook my head and frowned at my body's involuntary response to her simple movements. Now was not the time to think about making love to her.

"Charlie's gone. He's going to La Push."

Her eyes bulged. "What?" she shrieked, hopping out of the bed. "Why'd you let him go?"

"Because I'd been blocking his thoughts all night and didn't realize he was leaving until it was too late," I replied.

"So use your vampire abilities and crush one of the wheels or something!"

"I can't. The sun's out. And so are all your neighbors," I growled in frustration.

She blinked once. "Oh. So what do we do?"

"You phase and run the woods with me." I left out any reference to Alice's phone call and what would happen if we didn't keep the peace. She didn't need that kind of pressure on her shoulders.

She nodded and started toward the door. "We'll go out the back so that no one sees my sparkly boyfriend."

"That would be preferable," I answered, fighting a smile.

"Yeah, that was obvious, but give me a break; I'm still half asleep." She was making a joke to keep things light, but I could tell she was extremely worried.

I stopped her at the edge of the steps and spun her around to face me. "You okay?"

She shook her head. "He was so happy before, with Sue in all his obliviousness. What did I do?"

"You did nothing. You're not to blame here. This is just as hard for you as it is for him. It's just in a different way," I responded vehemently. "It will all pay off in the end when you still have him in your life twenty years from now. Don't forget that."

She exhaled sharply, stifling her tears. "Okay. Let's go."

I followed Bella as she ran out the back door and to the line of trees. As soon as she was safely under their cover, a shimmer ran through her, and she instantly phased. I grinned widely, feeling that buzz of excitement and innate curiosity at the sight. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to seeing my mate as a shaggy, chocolate brown wolf.

She grunted in annoyance, motioning toward something in the distance with her head. Sam and Jacob came sprinting over to us, their minds racing with questions as to why we were fleeing the house. I waited to hear an echo of Bella's answer in their thoughts, only to get nothing. She was too focused on getting to La Push to answer.

"Charlie's heading to La Push," I murmured, picking up speed behind Bella. "To Billy."

_To do what?_ Jacob asked back.

"I don't know. Alice can't see you all, remember? I only know that it's… unproductive."

He glanced over at Bella, keeping his thoughts bland with the exception of one word. _Shit._

Bella snorted loudly in response.

Sam called out an alert, attempting to contact any other pack member that was currently in their other form as we raced west and quickly realized that the rest of the pack members were busying themselves on the reservation—in their human form. Bella let out a soft whine with this knowledge and pushed herself faster. I did the same, and we slowly separated from Sam and Jacob as we flew through the forest.

We stopped just short of the reservation so that Bella could phase back and change into the clothes I'd carried with me the entire way. Her foot fought with the leg of her jeans, and she fumbled with her shirt as she tried to haphazardly throw it over her head. Her movements were jerky and ungraceful, much like they were before she'd phased for the first time. I stood there watching her in confusion as she slipped her shoes on until I caught the infinitesimal tremor rush through her.

She glanced up from where she was bent over herself. "What?"

"You're shaking," I responded.

She stood up and nodded, pulling in a long, deep breath to compose herself. "Yeah. Freaking out does that to wolves."

I chuckled. "So noted. But there's not anything to actually freak out about, love. Alice's visions are purely subjective as I've told you before. We could have changed the outcome just by coming here."

Her mouth turned down. "I'd forgotten about that."

I grinned crookedly and closed the distance between us. I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her against me before letting my lips brush over hers.

"You're beautiful when you run, by the way," I whispered. "Incredibly agile. I can't wait to take you hunting with me."

That one act that had terrified me so when she was a human now held the prospect of enlightenment and fun. She was in no way food to me, in either form. She was simply my mate. She could participate fully and see me as she'd wanted to for so long now without any trepidation from either of us. My only wish was that I could actually converse with her during the process. I loved her silence—reveled in it. But having her completely mute could be potentially frustrating.

She reached up and traced under my eyes with her thumbs. "You're getting shadows under your eyes. Soon?"

I shook my head. "Not with everything going on right now. I can't lose focus until things have calmed down a bit."

"Edward."

"Just until the Charlie and Billy thing blows over," I said flippantly, hoping she'd let the issue of my nourishment go.

"So in a few weeks?" she asked.

"In another couple of weeks or so," I agreed.

The sound of Sam and Jacob's thundering gallops closed in on us, quieting a few feet away from where Bella and I stood. The air behind me hummed as they phased, and I waited until they'd safely gotten their shorts unwrapped from their calves and back on their bodies before turning to face them.

"Let's go."

As we made our way to Billy's house, I tapped into the minds of the people we passed by, trying to get an idea of what we were heading into; if it was a nondescript kind of confrontation or if all hell had broken loose at the Black's tiny red house just up the road.

So far, no one had noticed anything unusual.

My gaze sharpened as we neared Jacob's house, homing in on Charlie's cruiser immediately. I picked up the pace, which was still excruciatingly slow, and hurried to where a single, raised voice was being carried by the wind.

"Oh, crap," Bella muttered, running up behind me. "He's here."

I nodded tersely and concentrated on the conversation.

"_I trusted you," _Charlie shouted, his voice laced with hurt._ "All these years, you lied to me. How could you do that to me?"_

"_It wasn't my intention," _Billy replied. _"It just happened."_

"_It just happened?" _Charlie shouted incredulously, startling Bella._ "That's the biggest line of bullshit I've ever heard."_

Billy was silent as we walked into the house, trying to decide the best way to respond to Charlie and coming up short. He knew nothing he did or said could ease his friend's pain or make him forgive him for what he did. And he accepted it. He'd miss Charlie's friendship dearly, but he couldn't blame him for his anger. He'd betrayed him, regardless of his tribe's history or imprinting on Renee. Anyone would deem his actions unforgivable. Even if Charlie had been a fellow tribe member and knew—believed—the numerous legends of his people, it would still smart.

"Huh," I said lowly, earning a baffled look from Bella.

"Billy's… gracious," I replied, not knowing exactly how to explain it. "Understanding. Accepting."

She said nothing, just followed me to hover at the doorway to the living room. Sam and Jacob were on our heels, tensely watching the situation and trying to determine whether they needed to step in or not. Charlie was standing across the room, pacing frantically while he tried to work his anger out with Billy.

"Did you know?" Charlie suddenly asked.

Billy's eyes flickered over to me for a split second before returning back to Charlie. He raised his up discreetly, instructing us to hang back.

"Did I know what?" he countered calmly.

"That she was yours. All this time, did you know that Bella was yours?" Charlie clarified.

"No. Not until last week. On that, you have to believe me."

Charlie scoffed.

"You think I'd have let Jacob entertain thoughts about Bella if I knew they were related? That I'd let you try to set them up?" Billy asked him.

I slid Bella a sideways glance. "Tried to fix you up?" I mouthed.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."

Charlie's face crumpled. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess."

"I'm sorry," Billy said. "I know it does absolutely nothing, and you have every right to hate me-"

"You're damn right I do!" Charlie shouted. I could hear the rush of heavy breaths fill his lungs and his heart pound erratically with adrenaline. The tips of his ears turned red as he took a step closer to Billy. "Renee loved me. I had a life, a family. And then you screwed it up."

"I'm sorry," Billy repeated, watching Charlie groan and turn away from him carefully. "It wasn't as if I set out to cheat on my wife or take Renee from you. I imprinted on her. I was just as helpless as Bella was with Edward when he came back last week."

Charlie abruptly stopped mid-pace and whirled around to face Billy. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Bella's been with Edward for an entire _week_?"

Billy blanched, realizing his mistake.

Bella stepped forward. "Dad?" she asked shakily.

Charlie jerked his head toward Bella. "Bella! I uh, I'm…" He scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to collect himself and push past his embarrassment. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you didn't do anything stupid," she replied.

He sighed. "I wasn't going to do anything stupid."

I simply arched my brow; he caught the movement and chuckled dryly.

"Okay, when I left the house I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I just wanted answers. You have a lot of them—that it seems you've skipped over—but you can't answer them all."

Bella slunk back toward me. "I went on the trip, I swear," she stated somewhat innocently, knowing what he was referring to.

He stared at her knowingly. "Bella."

"I phased on the trip and didn't know how to get back to being me. I was stuck in wolf form for days until Edward came back. And then there was the issue of me imprinting on a vampire…" She trailed off and bit down on her lip.

Charlie glanced back at Billy and grunted angrily. "You should have come home instead of doing…" He shuddered. "I don't even want to know."

She nodded. "I know. It's that supernatural thing I was telling you about. I couldn't be away from him. I still can't. Not easily, anyway."

"That sounds extremely unhealthy."

A small giggle escaped her throat.

"Well, it does," he grumbled. He threw one last glare at Billy and started toward the front door. "We're not done," he warned Bella as he approached her. "Supernatural or not, there are rules that you need to abide by so that I don't worry about you."

She gulped. "I know."

Charlie pushed past us and went outside. We all stood in silence until we heard the cruiser start and pull away from the house.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Jacob commented. "I thought for sure we were going to walk in on a Jerry Springer moment."

"Jacob," Bella groaned. "Shut up."

"I think that was his plan at first," I told them. "He was furious when he left the house. He must've worked a few things out on the drive over here."

"You don't know?" Bella asked in surprise. "Weren't you reading his mind?"

I shook my head. "It wasn't necessary. Between the vampire and three wolves, Charlie couldn't do anything stupid; even he'd wanted to."

"But, still…"

I nodded to Billy before leading Bella out of the house. "This man is your father, for all intents and purposes. He needs to _like _me, love."

"Well, that's true." She paused. "So now what?"

"I'd say we head back to your house. It seems you have some more explaining to do with Charlie about lying to him. Typical father-daughter stuff. I don't see why I need to be around for that, so I could-"

"Oh, no you don't. You're going to sit there and listen to whatever he has to say."

"He's not going to talk about sex, is he? I can't be there for that."

She laughed. "Are you kidding me? Charlie Swan talk about sex? Yeah, right. He probably just wants to try to ground me."

My mind processed the complications her being grounded could provide to my plan of keeping her safe instantly. "Or we could give him some time to cool off and head over to my house instead."

She grinned. "I like your plan, Cullen."

"So do I."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay... I'm fail and real life sucks. Thanks for the reviews and the adds! **

**Thanks to Stratan for running through this, and for once, agreeing with everything in the doc.**

**

* * *

**Chapter 6

**Edward**

An easy grin came over my face as I watched Bella trace her fingers over my chest. The sun made a brief appearance, and she giggled as my skin created dots of light dancing over her hand, fading just as quickly as they appeared as the clouds moved overhead.

We'd been lying in the meadow for hours, opting to let everything in Forks cool down. Neither of us really wanted to answer the questions that were waiting for us there, and both of us simply needed time to be alone and relax; we needed to recuperate emotionally—Bella, especially. Everything had been going well—surprisingly, given the circumstances—but that didn't do anything to change the stress that I knew Bella was feeling. I could hear it in the way her blood rushed through her veins, sometimes so urgently, I wondered how she didn't phase with the anxiety.

It only showed how strong she was to me once more.

"I just… It's still so beautiful to me. I don't know if I'll ever really get used to seeing you-"

"Sparkle like a disco ball?" I joked. "I fit right in during the seventies."

"Edward."

I shrugged and concentrated on the look of enthrallment on her face. "You really find it that interesting?"

A slow blush rose to her cheeks. "Yeah. It's something only a vampire can do."

"I suppose it makes sense. I find it quite fascinating to watch you phase."

She scoffed. "Please. I turn into a giant animal. It's like something out of a horror flick."

"And I'm not?" I bared my teeth and growled lowly to prove my point.

"Fine. I'm not arguing with you." She stretched out on top of me and sighed. "I'm too happy right now to argue. We get enough of that back home."

And that was my cue. The cue to ask the question that had been burning a hole in my brain all morning long. I still wasn't exactly sure how I had gone from "thinking" to "asking" in such a short amount of time, but at some point in the last few hours, I did. I might have been rushing things, but it didn't feel that way. Things were different between us now. We no longer resembled any kind of human relationship, so why try to keep up the façade? She was the one I was destined to be with, and maybe it was because I was still so old-fashioned after all this time, but making love to her without any kind of promise to her felt wrong. She was deserving of more than what I'd currently been giving her.

"So I was thinking…" I started, shifting her so that I could see her face.

"About what?"

"Us." I saw the apprehension on her face and hurriedly worked to make her feel better. "Not like that. You know better than that."

She nodded. "You're right. Sorry. Continue."

"As I was saying: I was thinking. You have plans for college, plans I fully intend to be there for. But I don't want to just leave things as they are now. I want to give you more… of me; everything."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I think we should get married," I said softly, anxiously awaiting her reaction.

"You what?"

"We're…" I sighed, "for lack of a better explanation, bound to one another. There's no one else I will ever want to be with for as long as I walk this earth. Continuing as we are without a promise to you feels… dishonorable. So I'm asking you to marry me."

She stared up at me pensively, chewing on her lip as she debated her answer.

I hugged her against me and kissed her softly. "Please say yes, baby. What's holding you back?"

She closed her eyes and let her lips slowly curve into the most incredible smile I'd ever seen. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"So you'll marry me?"

"I can't believe that with all my reservations, I'm still saying this, but yes. I'll marry you."

I kissed her deeply, unable to contain my excitement upon hearing those four little words. I pulled back and stared into eyes that were shining with so much emotion, it took my breath away.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"You were, huh?"

I nodded and slipped out from under her so that I could pull the ring I'd been secretly holding on to out of my pocket. The moment her eyes landed on the black box in my hand, she gasped.

"Edward, when did you..?"

"It was my mother's," I told her. "I don't know why, but I pulled it out of the safe after you left yesterday for Charlie's. With everything going on, I hadn't given it a second thought. Until now. It's all I've thought about this morning."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Asking you to marry me here in the meadow, instead of somewhere else, seems right to me." I flipped the lid open as I settled back down beside her, watching her reaction to the modest, antique ring inside.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. She started to reach out toward the ring, only to snatch her hand back at that last second. "Sorry."

I chuckled. "Why? It's yours."

"Because I'm sure you have an idea of how you want to do this. I don't want to ruin it."

"Bella, you couldn't ruin it."

Her lips twitched with a smile. "Not even if I'd have said 'no'?"

I grinned crookedly and cradled the ring between my fingers. "That might have dampened the mood, yes."

"I thought so," she said smugly.

I shook my head and took her hand so that I could slip the ring on her finger. "It's…"

"Perfect," she breathed, finally allowing her finger to trace over the web of diamonds.

"Yeah."

I took her face in my hands and kissed her again, only pulling away because I knew that Bella would need to eat soon. She pouted when I disengaged myself from her.

"I thought we'd… you know," she mumbled. I reveled in the way the heat from her blush felt under my touch.

"I want to," I murmured. "But we need to go. It's lunch time. I'm not going to make the mistake of not feeding you again."

"I'm sure I could eat something," she giggled.

"I'm sure you're right," I returned. "Your appetite is astounding."

She rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "Where to?"

I stood up and took her hand. "I thought we could do something different. Maybe the diner?"

"Um… okay."

As soon as we got to the edge of the woods, I stopped her. She'd spoken about reservations when she agreed to marry me, and maybe I truly was a masochist, but I needed to know what they were. I needed to know how to calm her fears, if she had any.

"You said you had reservations," I said slowly, grazing her ring with my thumb as I held her hand. "What are they?"

"Nothing serious," she said shyly. "We're just now out of high school. Or… not me, technically. I still have the graduation ceremony to go through. God, that's going to suck."

"Uh-huh," I said, trying to mask my impatience while she circled around the point.

"We're eighteen—well, everyone thinks you are. How is that going to look?"

I frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Come on, Edward. We're smart. We have plans for our future. It'll look like we're rushing into this. I mean, you guys just came back last week and now we're-"

I cut her off with a deep kiss, unconcerned with hearing any more. "Is that all?" I asked, scrutinizing her stunned face.

"Yeah," she breathed, licking her lips. She had that familiar, dazed look about her, causing me to grin widely.

"Who cares what other people think? They'll be long gone before we can blink."

"That's kind of morbid," she muttered.

"It's the truth. You'd be amazed at how quickly twenty years passes by."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Our families know how we feel, Bella. That's all that matters. They're the only ones who will still be around six months down the road when we've gone to college. They're the only ones who know the truth and how it feels to be mated, with the exception of Charlie, who's done an amazing job accepting it all."

She started taking off her clothes so that she could phase. I'm not going to lie; I made sure to take in every inch of flesh as it was exposed to me.

"College. Lately, it seemed impossible. Like I was stuck here in Forks without any say in my future at all."

"Because of Victoria?"

She nodded.

"We'll make sure she's not a problem by the time September comes around," I said adamantly.

She smiled indulgently. "I know you will."

She handed me the pile of clothes she'd stripped off her body and closed her eyes. In seconds, she'd transformed and leapt playfully away from me when I'd reached out to stroke her. I chuckled and bounded after her, laughing more when she sped up her movements in a silent challenge. We raced in the direction of where we'd left my Volvo, but she was impossible to catch; she was just as fast as me.

Within a few minutes, we were back at the line of trees, the silver of my car just barely visible through the brush. Bella phased back and took her clothes from me, smiling at my look of disappointment after she'd dressed and bent down to adjust her shoes.

"Sorry. You get to see it whenever you want. So don't pout," she teased, holding out her hand and flashing the ring she'd slipped back on.

"That's the only thing keeping me from pouting," I replied.

The drive to the diner was silent until I took a turn too fast for Bella's comfort, and she tensed up in the passenger's seat. Her hand gripped on to mine tightly, and her breathing stopped until the car straightened out.

I couldn't help but laugh at her glare.

"I hate it when you do that."

I shrugged. "I don't see why. You know how I see and react now; you've experienced it. Nothing I do will put us in danger."

"Yeah, but I currently don't see like that. I see like an average human does right now. And that, Edward, makes it scary."

I stared over at her and let the car slow down some. "I'm sorry. Better?"

She glanced out the window and nodded. "Thanks."

I wanted to grumble a complaint about going so slow now, but I didn't. I didn't want to ruin the moment with stupidity.

If only everyone else had known not to intrude on the moment with stupidity.

I parked at the diner and gave Bella a quick, departing kiss as she headed down the hall toward the bathrooms when we walked through the door. I hovered at the entrance, waiting for her to come back before getting a table. The diner was fairly empty; the buzzing of the locals' minds wasn't too difficult to block out while I stood there. And because I was blocking everyone out, I didn't realize the two humans that had walked into the diner were Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory until it was too late.

_Ohmigod! That's Edward Cullen!_

I groaned under my breath and cursed myself for being so noticeable around here. The sound of Lauren elbowing Jessica and her low whisper of "Look, it's Edward" had me hurrying to the hostess stand so that I could avoid them at all costs.

It didn't work out for me so well.

"Edward?" Jessica asked uncertainly, rushing over to where I stood.

I let a polite smile cross my face as soon as she stepped in front of me. "Hello."

I fought my reaction to cringe when they both started mentally rambling something about "fuckhot" and how _happy_ they were to see me. I'd never known a vampire's stomach could roll in response to disgusting innuendo, but that's exactly what happened to me. I felt a strange urge to dispel contents from my stomach, like I did when I was forced to look human and eat regular food.

It wasn't pleasant.

Lauren came over and batted her eyelashes, trying to appear sexy – at least, that's what I gathered from her thoughts. To me, she simply looked like she had something in her eye.

"When did you get back?" Jessica asked.

"My family and I came back last week," I answered, glancing around quickly for Bella and staying as detached as possible during this conversation.

Lauren snorted. "Why would you ever want to come back to this hillbilly town?"

I dragged a hand through my hair. "Carlisle was needed here," I replied. It wasn't a complete lie.

"So do you have plans for college?" Jessica interjected.

"They're changing," I said vaguely, "but yes. Alice, Jasper, and I all do."

"I can't wait to get out of this town," Lauren said snidely. "I bet you can't wait either, Edward."

"Well, I-"

"Because Bella Swan looks like shit," she continued. "You're lucky you got out when you did."

"Excuse me?" I asked, dumbfounded.

Jessica giggled. "She really went downhill. I think she's even gone a little crazy. God, I went to the movies with her a few months back, and I just about died from embarrassment. Avoid that freak at all costs."

"You could do so much better," Lauren said with a smirk.

I tensed with anger and had to keep focus on not snarling threateningly at the two of them as they continued obliviously bashing my mate—my fiancée, for that matter. I went to defend her, unconcerned with scaring any of the other patrons in the diner by my monstrous demeanor, only to stop as I felt that hum in the air that signified Bella's presence.

"I've got it," she said low enough that only I could catch it.

Her scent wrapped itself around me, immediately calming me down. I took a hesitant step back and waited for Bella to make her move.

"Hey, baby. Sorry it took me so long." Bella slid her hands over my chest and to my neck. She stood on her toes, bringing me down for a soft kiss. "I was watching the show," she whispered with a glint in her eye.

I chuckled under my breath. "I just bet you were."

She shrugged and turned in my arms to face Lauren and Jessica. "Oh, hi, guys. I didn't see you there. Edward kind of takes up all of my attention these days."

They stood there gaping in wordless shock as they took in Bella's new appearance. Finally, Lauren snapped out of it and shifted her weight on her feet, narrowing her eyes as her mind raced through the possibilities. Plastic surgery was at the top of her list.

As if Bella knew what they were thinking, she continued with, "How are you guys? I haven't seen you in a few days."

Lauren frowned, realizing that there was no way Bella could have healed from any kind of surgical procedure in such a short amount of time. She quickly changed tactics.

"Jessica and I were just talking to Edward here. He was just telling me that his plans for college are changing. I guess he won't be around much longer." She plastered a fake pout on her face. "That's too bad."

Bella shrugged once and went to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. Jessica and Lauren's eyes immediately widened as they caught sight of her engagement ring.

"I suppose they are changing. Along with mine. We'll be going somewhere together," she said nonchalantly.

"You- you're engaged?" Jessica sputtered.

"Oh!" Bella laughed. "Edward just proposed. I completely forgot about the ring." My eyebrows shot up; she was actually lying fairly well for a change.

"I see," Lauren said stiffly, sneering at Bella's left hand. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. I hate to ask this," Bella said, biting on her lip, "but please don't tell anyone. We haven't had a chance to tell our families yet."

"Sure," Jessica said unthinkingly. "We won't say a word."

Lauren shot her a glare. "Sure," she agreed.

Bella's stomach rumbled loudly against me.

"Come on, love." I guided her past Jessica and Lauren. "Let's get you fed."

Bella waved half-heartedly to them. "See ya."

I waited until Bella was sitting in the booth across from me before saying another word. As soon as the waitress had left with our drink orders, I took the menu the hostess had given Bella out of her hands and gave her a steady look.

"Really, Bella. They're not going to wait to tell people."

"I know. I guess that means that we get to tell Charlie when we get back to my house, huh?"

I handed her back the menu as one side of my lips quirked. "If you want to tell him yourself, you do."

"Great," she said wryly. "Just one more thing to try to get him to stroke out over."

"Bella, he's not going to stroke out."

She simply stared at me.

"We need to tell him about imprinting and mating. He needs to know everything. Once he does, he'll understand."

She sighed. "I hope you're right."

"Do you trust me?"

"Well, yeah," she said, blinking in confusion.

"Then it'll be fine."

"Okay."

"So you're changing college plans? This is new." I scrutinized her face, wanting to get a handle on why she'd suddenly changed her mind. "I thought your plans were pretty solid."

"They were, but then you came back. I got into a few places, so I thought we should decide together," she replied, picking at the edge of her sleeve.

"Bella, I've been to college. Numerous times. You should pick where we go."

She shook her head stubbornly. "It's the first big thing we'll do as a couple. You should have just as much a say so in it as I do."

I could see that she wasn't going to be swayed, so I nodded. I still wanted her college experience to be perfect. If this is what it took to start it out in the right direction, then so be it.

"Well… where all have you been accepted?"

* * *

**Bella**

I stopped on the front stoop and took a deep breath to ready myself. It was beginning to get dark; we'd stayed at the diner and talked for hours. It had been the perfect setting since there was no way we could get… _distracted_ in such a public place and spent the afternoon making plans for college. Well, Edward made plans for us to attend only one of the universities I'd been accepted to—Dartmouth—and ignored the others. I just tried to stay afloat in the sea of overindulgence. His reasoning was solid, his arguments irrefutable: there was already a house owned by the Cullens near Hanover, and the wildlife in New Hampshire was "plentiful". My suggestion, the University of Alaska, was immediately shot down. The lack of sunlight wasn't needed thanks to the abundance of night classes offered at Dartmouth. When I mentioned how inexpensive it was, I was reminded that money meant nothing to a Cullen, so cost wasn't a factor.

That led me to eventually just give up and agree. I was only wasting my time trying to argue with him about it, and if I was being honest with myself, I was actually pretty excited to go there, of all places, with Edward. It hadn't been a viable option until he'd come back. A lot of things hadn't been viable options until he came back. His return to Forks, to me, provided me with more opportunities than I'd imagined possible.

But that was all just icing on the cake. It made no difference, so long as Edward was there with me.

We discussed a few wedding details, although, neither of us really had any idea what we were talking about. I wasn't interested in what flowers were used and how many bridesmaids I'd have, and Edward hadn't paid attention to the wedding planning of any of his family members. They'd all been married in different decades, so it would have been useless information anyway. And because of this, it became pretty apparent that Alice would be making all the arrangements for us when we finally set a date, which was sure to make my future sister-in-law ridiculously happy.

Edward reached to open the door for me, only to stop as I started to twist my engagement ring off my finger.

"What are you doing?" he asked anxiously.

I nearly laughed at the expression on his face. He had that "kicked puppy dog" look about him. "I don't want Charlie to know before we say the words," I answered, slipping the ring into the pocket of my jeans.

He nodded but scowled. "If he's not found out already. Time seemed to get away from me this afternoon," he said, looking up at the continually darkening sky. "I tend to have that problem when I'm with you."

I stood up on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Let's just hope no one's called yet."

He opened the door for me and abruptly started chuckling under his breath.

"What?"

A loud clanking noise came from the back of the house, followed by Charlie's gruff curse, causing Edward to laugh harder.

"He's annoyed. He's making dinner."

"Oh, my God." I rushed past him and headed straight for the kitchen, hoping to stop whatever disaster-in-the-making or stifle the possible fire that was in progress in the kitchen.

"Dad!" I laughed, taking in the mess surrounding him. There were fish fillets sitting on the counter, grease splattered on the stove, and fish fry mix strewn all over the floor and clouding the air. "Are you trying to cook?"

"I was hungry," he grumbled, rubbing his face and creating streaks of white on his cheeks. "Where have you been all day?"

"I'm sorry. We went to eat at the diner for lunch and lost track of time."

He did a quick scan of the room, clearly displeased with the result. "Hmph."

I closed the distance between us and took the brown paper bag of fish fry out of his hands. "I'll finish. Edward can clean up."

"No, that's okay-"

"I'll have the kitchen spotless in five minutes," Edward interjected.

Charlie grunted, "I doubt that."

Edward sped around the room, nearly invisible to Charlie's and my human eyes, cleaning up the kitchen for us. Charlie paled as Edward stopped in front of him and washed the dishes with lightning speed.

"Vampire speed," I reminded him.

"That's going to take some getting used to," he breathed, swallowing hard.

"You okay? You look a little sick," I said worriedly, checking him over.

He straightened up determinately and nodded once. "I'm fine. Why don't you show me what to do," he said, pointing at the bag in my hands. "You're not going to be around to do it all when you go off to college, and I'd rather not hear you complain about me eating at the diner every night."

"You can't make Sue do it for you?" I joked.

He smiled. "I'm sure I could. I just won't."

Edward turned around and placed a kiss on my forehead after setting the last plate in the dish rack. "All done. I'll just be outside for a few minutes."

I bit on my lip and nodded.

"Everything's all right," he soothed. "I'm just being overly cautious. You should be used to this by now."

I wanted to laugh, but it seemed to stick to my throat. "Yeah."

Charlie waited until he was out of the room before speaking. "What was that about?"

"He's talking to the wolves outside," I answered, unwilling to talk about it. I didn't like knowing how inconvenienced the tribe was because of me.

"Why?"

"They stand guard. It's part of being in the pack."

"Because you're the chief's daughter," he said tersely.

"In more ways than one, Dad," I replied with a wink, evading the actual reason for the two sentinels guarding our house.

He visibly lightened up. "I guess you are."

I felt kind of ridiculous explaining to my father how to fry fish, but I did it anyway. It was what he wanted, and it gave me a chance to spend some time with him when we so rarely got to do so anymore. And right now, with everything going on, I needed it. I needed to feel normal, and I needed the reassurance that nothing had changed between Charlie and me, like he'd said.

I sat down with Charlie at the table and started piling food on my plate. Charlie's eyes widened when he saw how much I was eating.

"It's a side effect of phasing," Edward stated, answering Charlie's unspoken question as he came back inside. "The pack members have much higher metabolisms, therefore, they burn calories faster than the average human. She tends to eat huge amounts of food… often."

"Just call me a cow and get it over with," I said around my food.

Edward made a disgusted noise. "Absolutely not. But I will suggest you tie your hair back before you start shoveling food into your mouth," he teased, taking my hair in his hand and pulling it away from my face.

I reached up to swat him away, but he used his free hand to stop me, opting to bring it to his lips and kiss my palm instead.

Charlie huffed.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking down and feeling my face flame with embarrassment.

"So we need to talk," Charlie stated, ignoring my apology. "Edward, have a seat."

"Yes, sir." I saw the corner of Edward's lips twitch as he took the seat next to me and relaxed a little. It couldn't be too bad if Edward was trying not to smile.

"I know there are things I can't talk about and things I won't ever be told or understand. But, Bella, I need to lay some ground rules so that I don't sit here and worry about you whenever you and Edward are out doing…" he shook his head, "whatever supernatural thing it is you two do."

"Okay?"

"You're eighteen and finished with high school. But you will still be living here for a while, so I expect a phone call if you're going to disappear like you did last week." He caught the look I exchanged with Edward and groaned. "You are going to be here for a while, aren't you?"

"Sure. I just thought I made it clear that my disappearing couldn't be helped. It's not like I asked to phase."

"No, but you didn't come home after you'd_ phased_ back. You stayed at the Cullen's. It was deceitful, Bella," he replied.

I simply nodded. He had a point, and it had been intentional on my part.

"While we're being honest, I suppose Bella and I should talk to you about that 'supernatural stuff' you and she are always referring to," Edward said.

"Like what?" Charlie asked.

"Imprinting and mating," Edward responded. "I know we talked about it a little yesterday, but neither of us really told you what happens or how we know to recognize it for what it is."

"So tell me then."

Edward dove right into it, explaining it all flawlessly. He mentioned the biological imperative aspect vaguely, not wanting to get into the sex part of it all with my father. Charlie took the hint and skirted around the topic himself, thank God. I'd have been mortified to discuss the drive to lose my virginity and mate with Edward last week with him.

When Edward was finished, Charlie's eyes went from Edward to me, and he nodded as it all clicked into place. "You're imprinted," he deduced. "That's the only way the two of you could understand the feelings that go with it."

"Yeah," I said softly.

"Did this happen before he left?"

Edward shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "I fought the knowledge that she was my mate because I wanted something better—more natural—for her. I'm fairly certain that if we'd imprinted when we first met, I'd have never been able to leave her. I couldn't fathom it now. She means… everything. _More_ than everything. It's inexplicable, the way I feel about her."

"Good." Charlie sat back in his chair, dinner long forgotten. "I've seen it, you know. The way you two move around each other; the looks you give one another. I thought it was strange, maybe a little unhealthy for teenagers. So I wasn't terribly upset when you and your family moved away. It… it's a little scary to watch your daughter become obsessed like that over someone. But now I can see it for what it was. It all makes a little more sense."

"It does?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course it does."

"So if we got married, you wouldn't be mad?"

His brows knit. "Where are you going with this?"

Edward squared his shoulders and cleared his throat; Charlie's eyes darted over to him. "I asked Bella to marry me this morning, Chief Swan. And she said yes."

Charlie closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I don't see what the rush is, but I trust that this wedding—whenever it takes place—won't interfere with your education, Bella."

"No, it won't. Edward and I have done a lot of talking about that today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And I think we're going to go to Dartmouth together," I said cautiously.

His eyes snapped open. "You're not going to UDub anymore?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I got into a few schools, but I didn't have the money to go anywhere far away. Edward talked me into it today."

"I want her to have the best college experience she can. She's got the intelligence; I'm just providing the means."

Charlie chuckled. "How did that go over?"

Edward dragged his hands through his hair, laughing wryly. "As well as expected."

"I agreed to let you pay for my tuition and said that we'd live in that huge house of yours in Hanover, didn't I?" I protested.

"After an hour of arguing over it, you did," Edward replied with an entertained grin.

I rolled my eyes. "But I agreed. That's all that matters."

"Sounds like you two have it all figured out," Charlie commented, tucking back into his food.

"I think so," Edward said.

A slow, proud smile spread across Charlie's face. "My daughter's going to Dartmouth."

"That she is," Edward answered, beaming over at me.

"Stop it. Please," I pleaded, feeling my cheeks heat up. "You're embarrassing me."

Charlie snorted. "That's not hard to do, Bells."

Edward thankfully changed the subject to baseball, leaving me to eat my food in peace while he and Charlie ran over player stats or something; I wasn't sure. I was lost after thirty seconds. I wasn't spoken to again until Edward mentioned something about running over to his house to let his family know about our engagement.

"You want to go tonight?" I asked, looking at the clock. I was emotionally drained, in a good way, but just wanted to crawl into bed with Edward and relax.

"Well, I think we should," Edward responded. "Lauren and Jessica could have told half of Forks by now. I don't want to hurt Esme or Alice's feelings by letting them find out from someone else tomorrow."

For some reason, I hadn't thought of that. "Oh. Okay. Let me just get these last few dishes cleaned up and we can go."

"I've got it, Bella. I could use a little time to myself to think everything over." Charlie saw the stricken look on my face and laughed. "You're getting married. That's a lot to digest."

"Oh. Right." I pushed away from the table and stood up, digging my ring out of my pocket and sliding it back on my finger.

"Oh, there's a ring." Charlie motioned me over to him so that he could see it.

"Yeah, there's a ring," I said awkwardly as I took the few steps toward him. "It was his mom's."

He studied it closely for a few seconds before releasing my hand. "It's beautiful." He cleared his throat, and I knew he was getting a little choked up. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," I said softly.

"Get out of here. I'll see you before bed."

I waved, darted out of the room with Edward and hopped into his Volvo without a second glance. Edward started the car and turned in his seat, struggling not to laugh.

"Don't like the attention, do you?"

"Not really, no. I've been the center of attention for days now. You have awful timing," I whined.

"I'm… sorry?" he asked, snickering slightly.

"You're not, but thanks anyway," I sighed.

"You're right; I'm not. I love knowing you'll be my wife soon," he admitted. His amber eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't place, but it was something I'd try every day to see for the rest of my existence.

"How soon is 'soon'?" I asked, buckling my seatbelt.

"Soon."

"I see. I'm not going to be randomly surprised one day, am I?"

"No." He grinned over at me. "I just get the feeling it'll be sooner, rather than later."

"That makes no sense at all."

He shrugged once. "I know."

Because of Edward's maniacal driving, we were turning into his driveway in no time. He had the door opened for me and took my hand, guiding me to where all the Cullens were waiting for us inside.

"I should brace myself for a leaping vampire when you open the door, shouldn't I?"

He cocked his head to the side and listened in. "Actually… no," he said in astonishment. "They just know we're here." He laughed once. "Your being a member of the pack gets better and better all the time. We can sneak past Alice whenever we want."

I perked up. "Oh, that's nice."

"Most definitely," he agreed. The tone of his voice had me biting back a groan. I loved how much different he was now with the imprint. Sex wasn't so taboo for him anymore. At least, not with me, it wasn't. I had a feeling that he'd be just a rigid as before with anyone else.

He led me inside and to the living room where Carlisle was sitting with a book. He glanced up and smiled widely. "This is a lovely surprise," he said in greeting. "I didn't expect you two to be back tonight."

"We need to talk to everyone," Edward answered as we sat down on the couch.

All at once, the rest of the Cullens came bursting into the room.

"What's up?" Emmett asked, flopping down beside me. I had no idea how he didn't break the couch in half.

Edward glanced around the room and beamed. "We're getting married," he announced, unable to hide how happy he was.

A few excited, bell-like laughs sounded, along with the appropriate 'congratulations' from Carlisle and Jasper. Emmett whooped and hit my shoulder, jarring me slightly.

Alice made a face and took my hand. "Your link to the tribe gets more and more annoying," she complained, stating the exact opposite of what Edward had mentioned earlier.

I giggled. "At times."

She sighed and looked up at me, her lips curving. "I suppose I can let this pass if you agree to let me do your wedding."

"Edward and I already talked about that. You're the only one we want."

She squealed and yanked me to my feet so that she could hug me. "Thank you, Bella. You won't regret it!"

"I hope you're right," I laughed.

I pulled back and noticed Rosalie glaring at me. I opened my mouth to say something, but I wasn't sure what_ to_ say. It didn't matter anyway; she spun around and flew out of the room before I had the chance.

Edward growled angrily and was at my side in an instant. "Don't pay attention to her."

Emmett got up and squeezed my hand as he started to pass. "I'll talk to her." He looked over his shoulder and smiled sadly. "And listen to Edward. She doesn't mean anything by it."

"Yeah, right," I responded, trying not to cry.

"She doesn't. When she was transformed, she was extremely bitter. She was frozen like that, Bella. It's hard for her to accept change, especially good changes that happen to other people. Just give her some time."

I sniffled and nodded, turning to put my arms around Edward.

Edward hugged me against him tightly. "If she doesn't start treating my mate with a little respect, Emmett-"

"I know," Emmett interrupted. "I'll talk to her."

Edward nodded once.

As soon as Emmett was gone, Esme smiled warmly and wiggled her fingers as she spoke, "Let me see that ring."

"You okay?" Edward whispered against my ear while Esme looked over my ring.

I nodded and craned my neck to see him, smiling reassuringly. "Just great."

I wasn't going to let one bitter vampire ruin this for us.


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize for taking so long with this update. Seriously. It's been insanity trying to get with Stratan to talk WYWG lately. I'm sick, my kids are sick, he's sick; we're both busy. It's a miracle we can get anything done at all.**

**Thanks for the reviews and adds, and thanks to Southern FanFiction Review and Claireoth for the awesome pimpage last weekend! If you play on Twitter, this fic has a readalong scheduled (hosted by Claireoth) on Nov 26 starting at 8pm EST. You can go to the Fic Bridge's blog or find me on twitter for more info (at) JennyB0719.**

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Chapter 7

**Edward**

I stood against the piano in the living room, listening as Bella spent an hour after our announcement talking with Alice and Esme about wedding plans. Watching her argue with Alice—through the images that played in Alice's head—over how many guests and how formal everything would be had been incredibly funny. She'd finally gotten flustered and literally put her foot down. Her face went red, her foot stomped once on the wooden floor, and her hands clenched into fists on her lap.

"No, Alice," she fumed. "I don't want the whole town here, and I certainly don't want to make people to eat crap like escargot and foie gras. Besides, have you ever tasted it? I mean, _before _you were a vampire. It's awful!"

Alice gave her a pitiful look. "But, Bella, you can't serve the stuff from the diner, either."

"I know," she replied. "But this is Forks, Alice, not New York. No one would appreciate the effort behind it, anyway."

"Yeah," Alice agreed, her mind racing with other possibilities, "but I still get to make your dress, don't I?"

She threw herself into the Canadian National Anthem so that I didn't see anything about the design of Bella's dress, causing me to chuckle.

"And you'll be my maid of honor," Bella said cheerfully.

Alice clapped happily. "Now, we just need to set a date."

I stepped forward, finally inserting myself into the conversation. "And _we_ will," I interjected, glancing over at Bella to emphasize my point.

"Party pooper," she muttered. "This Bella-wolf thing really hinders my abilities. I'd normally know what the two of you would decide and could go ahead and start planning everything."

Bella patted her leg, fighting a smile. "You poor thing. That must be so hard."

Alice's eyes narrowed. "You enjoy this."

Bella finally smiled—hugely. "I do."

Alice's hands flittered around, and she shook her head. "Go away now and set the date. I'll talk to you later."

We laughed and quickly said our goodbyes so that I could get Bella back to Charlie at a reasonable hour. He was being extremely understanding about the situation—and I'd caught a few vague thoughts that explained why; he knew he had no choice—but I didn't want to rock the boat, so to speak. Anything I could do to continue the easy transition into this new life for Bella, I would.

I pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. Bella exhaled sharply, and then turned to face me with a sad expression on her face.

"I really don't want to go in there."

I laughed. "I don't want you to go in there, either, but you have to."

She groaned, "But why? He knows that we're… not normal. I should be able to just tell Charlie that I'll be at your house and stay whenever I want."

"You should, yes," I agreed, "but that would be disrespectful of me. He expects us to behave as average eighteen year olds unless there's something 'supernatural' to deal with. Staying the night with me hardly qualifies as such, love."

She pouted adorably, and I couldn't help but lean across the console and kiss her. "I know," she sighed. "See you in twenty?"

I started to nod in agreement, but then changed my mind. "Actually, I think I'll walk you to the door."

She grinned. "Well, aren't you chivalrous."

"At times."

I got out of the car and was at her side before she could open the door. She rolled her eyes and got out, taking my hand as I shut the door behind her.

As we walked to the door, I could hear the wolves snort in the woods behind the house as they guarded Charlie inside. Their thoughts were light and teasing as they took their places in the woods. They hadn't been here long; Charlie had gone over to Sue's for the evening since we were away. I cocked my head to the side, listening in on his thoughts, and knew that he'd told Sue about our engagement and…

I quickly focused on something else. Hearing about my soon-to-be father-in-law's sex life was something I was not interested in.

Bella giggled as she put her hand on the doorknob. "What's the matter? You look disgusted all of a sudden."

I put a pleasant mask on my face to hide how right she was. "Nothing. Something one of the pack members said out back."

Her face scrunched up in understanding. "I do not want to know. Especially since I don't have to."

I smiled down at her. "I don't blame you."

She opened the door and started to walk inside, but the scent of an unknown vampire was strong and stout, causing me to freeze and instantly grab a hold of Bella and pull her toward me.

My body instantly stiffened defensively, and I scanned the area, listening for a sound or an errant thought that would give away the position of the vampire, but found nothing.

"Edward, what is the matter with you?" Bella asked, squirming beneath my grasp. "You're freaking me out."

And then she caught a whiff of the scent.

"Oh, God," she said, nearly gagging. "It burns my throat."

"What?" I asked, perplexed.

"The scent. It burns my throat."

"You don't seem to mind my family's scent," I said questioningly, staring down at her.

"They sort of smell like you. They don't really bother me. Not like this. Maybe it's because I spent so much time with them before?"

"Possibly…" But I'd have to dwell on it later. "Stay here," I commanded, gently moving her aside. "Paul, Jared, someone's been here. One of you, keep an eye on Bella. The other, track the scent."

One of the wolves, Jared, was instantly standing in the shadows of a nearby tree. I could see where Bella and I stood in his thoughts and hear the anger and protectiveness that radiated in his conversation with Paul as he ran over to where we stood. He breathed in deeply, and then rushed off to find the trail of the vampire in question.

"I don't know," I murmured, answering their unspoken questions automatically. There was no need to be any more specific; I knew nothing right now. "I'll be right back."

"Edward," Bella said again, her eyes darting over to the tree.

"Just stay here. I'll explain when I know more."

She nodded once and leaned against the side of the house, letting me by. I squeezed her hand once as I walked inside and shut the door behind me.

Charlie jerked up from where he was lying on the couch. "Where's Bella?"

"On the porch." My hands curled at my sides as the scent grew stronger. "Notice anything suspicious?" I asked flatly.

He arched his brow with my tone. "Should I have?"

I shook my head. "No."

The heater turned on, causing the air in the vents to stir. My head snapped to the stairs. "He was in her room," I growled.

"What?" Charlie shouted. He was focusing on the implication of that statement, rather than how… _inhuman_ it sounded. "Who was in her room?"

I didn't bother answering, just launched myself up the stairs and to Bella's room. I opened the door and recoiled at how strong the scent was here, and how many of Bella's belongings had been touched by him.

Her pillow was missing, and clothes were scattered all over the floor. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, so I pulled out my phone and called Carlisle. I recounted everything and listed off what had been tampered with or taken from her room, all while Charlie waited impatiently beside me.

I slipped the phone back in my pocket and turned to him. "There was another vampire here while you were at Sue's. The house is going to need to be watched at all times now."

He blanched. "What did they want?"

"I'm not sure. They could have picked up my scent here, wondered why I found this place so fascinating. It's strongest in Bella's room…"

"That's probable."

"It is. But… why take her pillow?" I ran my hands through my hair. "I need to speak more with my family about this. Jasper, specifically. They're on their way now."

I brushed past him and bounded down the stairs. I opened the door and found Bella waiting nervously outside.

The wolf howled in the distance, signaling that he'd caught up to the vampire and needed backup from the pack.

"Go," I said to Jared urgently. "Go now. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"What is it?"

"I need you to go through your room. I need to know how many things of yours are missing."

Her eyes widened. "Missing?" She squeezed her eyes and shook her head violently. "Wait, you said 'how many'. What's missing?'

"At first glance, your pillow. But your room has been thoroughly searched. Maybe it was for something specific, but it just… It's ransacked."

Bella hurried past me and to her room, bringing her hand up to her neck, unconsciously massaging. I silently followed behind her.

"It wasn't this messy when I left," she breathed.

"I know."

I could hear my family's footfalls in the distance. "Alice, stay here and guard Charlie and Bella," I said as soon as she could hear me.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked in frustration. "You're not leaving me here."

"I'm not taking you. Paul picked up his scent and is hunting him down in the woods. I'll-"

"I'm coming with you," she said stubbornly. "Alice can stay with my dad."

I opened my mouth to argue, but quickly realized that it was a literal waste of time. "Fine," I groaned, "but you're to do nothing stupid."

"Me?" she said, smiling playfully as we hurried back outside. "When have I ever done anything stupid?"

I rolled my eyes and ran to the edge of the woods. "Hurry it up, will you," I called back at her, laughing as she ran at a human pace across the yard.

"A little warning would be nice," she giggled, just before she shoved her ring in her pocket, stripped off her clothes—which made me suddenly and _extremely_ thankful for vampire vision—and phased.

We followed the scent of the other wolves deep into the woods, eventually passing my family, with the exception of Alice, and catching up to where Sam and Jacob had headed him off, and now had the vampire pinned to the ground, just at the edge of the cliffs in La Push.

The man—Riley, I deduced from his thoughts—fought against the wolves as soon as he heard us near, causing them to snap and snarl in his face. Jacob caught his cheek with his fang, and a metallic screech rang out in the air, causing Bella to cringe.

"You okay?" I asked her.

She gave a quick nod and kept moving forward.

I slowed until I was walking at a lazy human pace toward them while Bella trotted over to where Jared and Paul were circling the group, no doubt trying to get information out of them. It was infuriating to be unable to hear her at a time like this.

I took stock of the vampire; I'd learn all his secrets before he could blink. His eyes weren't quite the deep, ruby color of an aged vampire that fed off of humans, indicating that he was still a newborn… still strong. Stronger than me, judging by the struggle Sam and Jacob were having, just to keep him on the ground.

"His name is Riley, love," I said, cocking my head to the side and giving him and sardonic smile. "Riley Biers."

Riley's mouth dropped open. "How did you know that?" he asked hesitantly.

I tapped my temple. "Mind reader. Have any neat tricks, newborn?"

If a vampire could pale any further, he'd have done it. "No. Not that I know of."

"Oh, you'd know it."

The rest of my family arrived, filing in behind me. I could feel the anger rolling off of them in waves, thanks to Jasper's emphatic powers, until he'd calmed them just enough so that no one made any mistakes while dealing with this Riley.

I let out my breath and nodded at him. "Thanks."

A knowing smile slowly lifted his lips. "Distracting, isn't it?"

I laughed once under my breath, unwilling to answer that, and turned my attention back to Riley.

Jasper and Emmett took the places of the wolves, standing Riley up and holding onto his arms so I could see his face clearly. I followed Bella's lead and began circling around him, stalking him, until his thoughts raced and his unnecessarily labored breathing came out in sharp gasps.

"Going to escape by way of the ocean, I see. Smart. The wolves can't swim like us."

He said nothing, simply glared at me.

"Where's her pillow? Her shirt?" I asked evenly.

He stiffened in Emmett and Jasper's arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hmm." I closed my eyes so that I could concentrate and sifted through the mess of thoughts. "Contingency plan. He dropped them off about three miles south when he realized he was being tracked."

"No!" he bellowed in panic, fighting against Emmett and Jasper. Jasper twisted his arm; the sound of it being bent echoed around us, and he cried out in pain.

_On it_, Jared said, nudging Paul. Paul gave one last baleful look at Riley, and then followed Jared into the woods.

Riley snarled and thrashed, his panic and fear of failure consuming him, as the wolves disappeared from sight.

"You failed, Riley," I said tauntingly, using his thoughts against him. "Victoria will kill you now, won't she?"

He groaned and slumped in my brothers' arms; his thoughts became increasingly clear as he began to admit defeat.

"So Victoria's plotting to kill Bella," I said lowly, fighting to stay calm, "to make me suffer. Although, she's lying to Riley about the reasoning. She says it's out of fear… but really, it's retribution for killing her mate."

Riley's mind blanked with shock.

"Oh, yes," I murmured with a smirk. "You're not her mate. That was reserved for someone named James." I took a step closer and leaned forward so that we were merely inches apart. "And we killed him."

A deep growl rumbled in Riley's chest.

"How?" Jasper asked, tightening his grip on Riley.

I straightened up and focused on his thoughts again. "Newborns?" My eyes snapped to Jasper's, and he nodded. "The numbers keep changing. I can't…" I stopped trying to figure out how many and honed in on the when. "July. Late July."

Bella whined softly next to me, but all I could do was reach out and touch her. Images from Jasper's past came hurling at me so fast, I couldn't make any sense of them; no matter how hard I concentrated.

"What is that?" I asked, glancing at him with wide eyes.

"A newborn army." He fed me images of his past in Texas again, images that paralleled what I'd just seen in Riley's mind. Scarlet eyes, the uncontrollable burn of thirst a newborn feels, fights among themselves, their numbers growing, then depleting because of it, followed by the annihilation of another coven… the increasing reign that followed. "Yes?"

"Yes," I breathed. It explained every single discarded and drained corpse found in recent days. It was more than one careless newborn causing the damage, and there was no one teaching them how to be secretive. They were left to kill at will.

My prediction of it catching the attention of the Volturi couldn't have been more right.

"We need to find out everything we can about Victoria's plan. I want all the details imaginable," Jasper returned determinately. His own plan of defense was slowly forming…

"She's not getting within a hundred feet of Bella. After you've learned everything you need to, dispose of him," I said ominously. "I think I've gotten all I want. You find out the mechanics."

He nodded.

"I'll take Bella home and let Alice know what's going on." Bella growled beside me. "And Bella, too," I chuckled. "But I think she'd benefit from hearing it from you," I said to Jasper.

He was a little reluctant in his agreement, still feeling guilt over his attack on her and the separation that followed it. He cleared his throat before finally answering, "Sure."

"Edward," Carlisle said quietly. "Are you sure you don't want to hear what he has to say? You brothers can handle it, yes, but…"

"Carlisle, I can't look at him. Not without wanting to tear his eyes out and rip him limb from limb. He threatened my mate," I seethed. "I wouldn't be able to give him the chance to talk. And we need everything we can get from him."

He nodded in understanding. "He's so young, Edward. Is it necessary to-"

"You wouldn't keep him around if he'd been after Esme," I responded with a wry smile upon hearing his plan of trying to rehabilitate this vampire and bring him into our way of life. It was just like Carlisle to be so compassionate. "It'd eat you alive, wondering if he was trustworthy—changed."

He cast a glance over at Riley. "It just seems like such a waste."

"It is. But it's Victoria's waste, not mine."

"I suppose you're right," he replied, still unconvinced that disposing of Riley was the right thing to do.

"Carlisle, he loves her. It's not quite the love he would have if she were his mate, but he doesn't know what that feels like; he's never experienced it. To him, she _is _his mate. His loyalty will always be to her."

Carlisle sighed. "Then I suppose we have no choice but to kill him."

* * *

**Bella**

"Okay," I said, pacing the kitchen of the Cullen's large mansion. "Riley's… gone."

"Yes," Edward and Jasper said in unison, finally… reanimating after what seemed like hours of being at a standstill. Neither of them had moved since we'd gotten here. They just stood frozen, only letting their eyes move while I processed everything. Edward had always referred to it as resting. Standing or lying in one, unwavering position for hours, unblinking—sometimes not even breathing—since a vampire was unable to sleep.

I'd never tell Edward this, but sometimes—i.e. now—it was a little creepy.

I hadn't been able to settle down since Edward and I had left the majority of the Cullens in the woods with Riley. Adrenaline coursed through my veins from the moment I'd shifted, and my heart still pounded loudly in my chest because of it, even hours later. With everything going on in my life, Victoria's threat had seemed… distanced. She would dance around the treaty line and disappear, almost like a tease. Coming face to face with one of her newborns had made it finally feel terrifyingly real.

Pacing, stupidly, was the only thing keeping me sane right now. I didn't have anything else to do. The pack and the Cullens had already starting making arrangements to prepare for Victoria's inevitable return, and Alice had my room completely spotless by the time we got back. She'd been trying to help, but the reality was that she just made it easier for me to focus on all my worries since I had nothing useful to do with myself now.

Knowing how close Charlie had come to a vampire—a vampire that fed off of humans—was a little more than I could handle. He was the only thing in my life that hadn't changed. Everything else had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time, even my relationship with Edward. To have something happen to him…

"We should just skip graduation tomorrow and catch the next flight to… I don't know," I said abruptly. "Where's someplace remote and cloudy?"

"That's unnecessary," Edward replied.

"But it worked with James," I argued, glancing down at the scar on my hand. "Well, it wasn't perfect, but-" I cut myself off. "Maybe we can convince Charlie to take a vacation?"

"You think he'd honestly leave, knowing that Victoria wants you dead?" Edward asked. "I'm beginning to think that being stubborn is not a genetic trait at all, but a learned behavior. He's just as bad as you are."

"You're right," I groaned, still pacing feverishly around the room. I decided to go back to my original line of thought, because this was getting me nowhere. "So Riley's gone," I repeated, "and there's no way that Victoria could know that he was caught?"

"Well… I'd say she knows by now," Edward replied with a dark chuckle, exchanging a satisfied look with Jasper. _Vampires and their revenge… _"It doesn't take us that long to get to Seattle from here."

I jabbed the rolled up newspaper in my hand toward him. "Don't start with me," I warned. "I just spent two hours trying to explain all of this to my father… who was extremely ticked off that he wasn't told about this earlier."

I'd honestly thought he was going to stroke out when Edward _casually_ mentioned that the vampire we'd told him about a couple of days ago was actually here to act out some elaborate plan of revenge against Edward—one that would result in my death, if she was successful. His face had gone purple; he'd stopped breathing… And then he blew, demanding to know why he hadn't been told before—insisting that he could have been doing something to help. Although, I think he knew that was impossible. He hadn't even realized that anyone had been in our house to begin with, when Edward and I had both been able to sense it immediately.

For the first time in his life, Charlie Swan was way out of his league. Hey, I was out of my _own_ league, and I was at least physically able to keep up with this mess.

"With everything he's been told lately, I was hoping that this could wait a while. Obviously, not," Edward replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, the timing definitely sucks," Jasper agreed.

"Would you two just shut up?" I snapped. "Timing? Really? That's all you two are worried about?"

"Yes," they said in unison again.

"This," I rolled out the newspaper so that tomorrow's headline could be seen clearly and shook it around for emphasis, "is not all right. This… _is_ worrisome. This… is-"

Twenty-four people reported missing in the last six months. All of them likely turned by Victoria and let loose to feed on whomever they pleased. All of those names… Their names, along with their victims; the people found dead and drained dry in recent weeks. The thought had my stomach rolling.

Edward yanked the newspaper out of my hands and threw it across the room, startling me. "There's no way she'll ever get to you. We know her plan, so we can ready ourselves for when she shows. Not only that, but we have something that she'll never be able to anticipate. We have the wolves on our side. She'll be in for quite a surprise when she sees that we're working together, instead of fighting one another like we've done all this time."

"How did no one see this? How did no one know that she was building… an… an _army_? " I asked, using Jasper's earlier term to describe it. "What the hell does that mean, anyway?"

"Because until Charlie told you two about the unexplained deaths in the area, we didn't know anything was going on. The police have kept this quiet," Jasper explained. "Nothing has been close enough to Forks for Carlisle to catch wind of it as the hospital. And we certainly didn't know to tie it all to Victoria. Even if we had, it would have done no good. Alice can't get anything but flashing images. She can't see anything involving you, and Victoria's figured out how to use Alice's power against us."

"She just keeps changing her mind," I muttered.

"Exactly," Jasper said.

I finally stopped pacing and headed over to the bar in the center of the room, plopping down on one of the stools and letting my head fall to my arms.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I moaned, feeling nauseated all over again.

"I can help with that. Calm your nerves," Jasper suggested.

"No! I don't want you to zap me with anything to calm me down," I growled. "I hate that."

Edward laughed.

"Ah, now, Bella," he drawled, "that's not how it works. I simply will you calm."

I waved him off. "Whatever. Don't 'will' me anything."

A breeze of cool air rushed passed me, and Jasper's hand was suddenly on my back, rubbing large circles. A wave of sudden relief came over me, and I sighed as all the tension left my body.

"Jasper…" I didn't know whether to thank him or be mad at him for not listening to me.

"You're makin' me anxious, too. Jittery. I need to be able to think clearly."

"Oh," I said dumbly.

"There, that's better." His lips twisted up on one side, but it didn't have near the effect that Edward's lopsided smile had on me. "Listen, Bella, before I start explaining my past to you, I need to say something."

"Which is?"

"I'm… sorry. About everything."

I glanced up at him in confusion. "Sorry about what?"

He gave me a look. "You know…"

I sat up and nodded. "It's okay, really. It all worked out."

His entire face turned down as he shook his head. "No, it's not. Edward should've been here for your first phase. He should have helped you get through it."

"I'm here now, Jazz. Like Bella said: it all worked out," Edward interjected with a shrug.

"Stop trying to make me feel better," Jasper laughed. "Let Bella answer."

"Um, okay." I glanced down and wrung my hands together, trying to figure out how to answer him honestly. "I'm not mad," I started hesitantly. "I know you struggle the most with control and on my birthday, it'd been a while since you'd hunted. I don't blame you for Edward leaving. It wasn't you who made that choice; he did. But I missed him so much while he was gone. I just… wasn't me anymore. And, you're right; I did need him when I went through that first phase. I had so much going on; Jacob, Billy, Renee, Charlie… I could have used some consistency—one constant when everything was in the middle of a massive upheaval."

I stared at him evenly, trying to convey my sincerity with the next part. "I meant what I said, Jasper. It really did work out. For whatever reason, this is how things are supposed to be." I paused, letting my breath out loudly. "Like maybe we could appreciate each other more, now that we know how it feels without the other."

Satisfied with my answer, he nodded.

"Can we talk about the important stuff now? You know, the vampire army that you somehow know so much about? The part-human in this house needs sleep for tomorrow."

Jasper smiled, and I suddenly felt refreshed, like I'd slept for days on end.

I groaned. "Jasper, this won't do any good, but…" I reached out and smacked the side of his head, thankful that I could do so now without breaking my hand. "Stop manipulating me."

He held up his hands in surrender and laughed. "Fine, fine. So you want me to tell you how I know so much about Victoria's newborn army?"

I nodded, prompting him to lower his hands while pulling one of his shirtsleeves to his elbow.

I gasped as the light hit the scars that littered his pale skin. "What happened to you?" And then it hit me that his scars looked identical to mine. "You were bitten."

"My beginning wasn't as easy as our boy's over there," he said, motioning over to Edward with his head. "Mine was volatile. I was always fighting someone over something."

"But… why?" I asked, flabbergasted. Jasper was the calmest person I knew.

"Survival." He leaned forward, staring at me intently. "Bella, I was made a vampire for the same reason that Riley was. I was a soldier, both before and after I was turned."

I gulped when I finally understood what he was about to tell me. "You were in one of these armies."

"I was in the most powerful of armies in the south," he responded. "And I hated every second of it."

* * *

"So what do you think?" I asked Edward, biting my lip as I set the copy of my speech down.

"I think no one will be paying attention to that speech if you give it like that," he answered, broadly gesturing to the fact that I was naked.

As was he.

It was all I could do to not trip over my words as I recited the speech I'd spent so much time on. As always, he was in the forefront of my mind. The mating instinct made it so difficult to think about anything else, especially with him… on display like he was. I was nearly consumed by the drive to tackle him—well, attempt to, anyway—to my rickety little bed and have my way with him, regardless of the fact that we'd already partaken in that little activity once this morning.

"Edward," I blushed and glanced away, "be serious."

"Okay. I think it's great. You have nothing to be nervous about."

"I'm not nervous." He arched his brow challengingly. "Well, maybe I am a little."

He laughed at the face I made as another wave of nausea rolled over me. I was going to throw up as soon as I stepped on stage if I kept this up. "You need to give your heart a rest, baby. It's been flying all morning long."

I got up from the seat at my desk and moved across the room to where he was deliciously sprawled out on the bed. Thankfully, Charlie had decided to go fishing early this morning to decompress, taking the wolf sentinels with him. Edward and I had the house to ourselves, for once, without another being with preternatural hearing listening—or trying not to, depending on who it was.

"Maybe I don't want to give my heart a rest… yet," I murmured playfully.

He smiled widely. "And what did you have in mind?"

I shrugged nonchalantly and crawled onto the bed to straddle him. The moment my body brushed against his, he moaned a little. "Taking advantage of the fact that we're alone… and not lying on the ground somewhere?"

He reached up and cupped my face; his thumb stroked my jaw line. "I'm proud of you, you know," he said softly, taking my surprise.

"For graduating high school?" I asked incredulously. "Please."

"No, not that. I had no doubt that you'd graduate high school," he responded. "For going a little out of character and agreeing to give a speech. We both know how you'd rather let someone else have the spotlight."

"Well, Mrs. Cope kind of guilted me into it," I admitted.

"Want me to kill her?" he deadpanned.

I giggled and shook my head, spilling my hair out around us. "And give up the satisfaction of doing it myself? No way."

He chuckled and pulled me down for a kiss. "What were you saying before I changed the subject?" he mumbled against my lips.

"Mmm…" His icy fingers skimmed down from my face to my hips, and my mind went blank. "Can't remember now."

"That's a shame. It sounded dirty."

I kissed him again, and then broke away to move my mouth over his jaw and to his neck. "It was," I replied simply.

He shuddered as my breath washed over his skin and gripped my hips, suddenly speeding everything up as he rolled our hips together.

"Oh, my God," I breathed, completely consumed by him. His hands were… everywhere, and I screwed my eyes shut so that I didn't start gasping and moaning embarrassingly.

"Bella," he whispered, dragging his mouth down until he reached my breasts. "You taste so good."

His hands came up to palm my breasts as his mouth closed over one of my nipples. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply against my skin. With a deep, guttural sound, his eyes opened back up and traveled to mine. The way they slowly dilated, blackening as he nipped at my skin, resonated through me.

"Edward," I moaned, slowly unraveling above him.

"I could look at you—touch you—all day," he murmured back.

God, how I wanted that. I pushed my hips into his and just… let it all fade away—Victoria, Jasper's plan to teach us all how to fight the newborns, graduation, the upcoming wedding. Our bodies moved fluidly together, climbing, burning. His fingers dipped between my thighs to tease me, driving me to the edge, only to pull back just as I nearly reached peak.

I groaned in frustration, causing him to chuckle. Unable to stand it any longer, I started to lower myself down on him, only to find that I was suddenly lying on my stomach with Edward behind me.

_Stupid vampire speed…_

He ran his hands over the swell of my bottom, kneading the flesh there as he spread my legs apart with his. He hovered over me for a moment, trailing kisses up my back as he positioned himself.

In one smooth move, he was inside me. I groaned and buried my face in the covers as he drove into me over and over again… harder with each pass. The bed creaked and groaned in protest, and for a fleeting moment, I thought it was going to collapse under our movements. Edward must have been thinking the same thing, because he shifted so that his weight was on one of his elbows and rolled us slightly, giving him just enough access to my clit while simultaneously taking the majority of the strain off of the bed.

I hitched my leg up around his and pushed back against him every time he thrust into me, desperate to relieve the pressure building within me. He dropped his head and grunted as my body tightened around him, and with one last circle of his fingers, I came.

He quickly followed, stilling as he came inside me with a groan. I stayed as I was for a while, trying to regain my bearings. When I was finally able to move again, I rolled over and faced him, tipping my head up so that I could kiss him.

I pulled away with a contented sigh and looked up at Edward. "Well, that was new," I said with a laugh.

A mischievous look crossed his face. "Yeah, I have to say… I'm starting to think _doggy style_ is my favorite."

At this, I burst out laughing and chucked a pillow at his head, which he neatly ducked away from. I lunged at him and continued our kiss.

"I cannot wait until we're married," I stated as I broke away from him again, causing his eyes to widen marginally.

"Why's that?"

"This bed sucks."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I promise, you can pick out our bed. It's not like I'd be the one benefiting from it."

"I like your bed."

"Mine?" He smiled crookedly. "Well then, we'll keep it."

I grinned back. "Okay." And then a sudden thought crossed my mind. "Your birthday's coming up, isn't it?"

He blinked and frowned, clearly confused. "My human birthday? It's in a few weeks, but I don't celebrate it. I haven't since…"

"We should fix that," I whispered, chewing on my lip again. "It should be something you celebrate."

"I don't know… I'd rather give you the attention, love."

I rolled my eyes. "But what if we celebrated the day together?" I hedged, trying so hard for him to guess my idea for himself.

"I don't follow you…"

Of course not.

"Our anniversary," I finally sighed. "I think we should get married on your birthday."

"You what?" he laughed. "What made you think of that date?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's soon… and you said that you thought we'd get married sooner than later… If you don't like it, just tell me."

"No. Any day is perfect, Bella, so long as it's what you want."

"That's what I want, baby," I said resolutely.

"You're sure?" he questioned, brushing my hair off my face.

"I'm sure. That's our wedding day."

He leaned forward and kissed me again. "Then I'll tell Alice."


	8. Chapter 8

**As always, thanks for the reviews, adds, and interest in the fic so far. Thanks to Claireoth for doing the Twitter readalong tonight and giving me the boot in the ass to write this so quickly **

**STRATAN - ILY SFM, Superman, for succumbing to the "evil" today and busting your ass with me, despite the holiday. ;)**

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* * *

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Chapter 8

**Edward**

I stood at the entrance of the gymnasium with Charlie and my family, waiting for Bella to come out with the other graduates. Her speech was flawless and eloquent, surpassing any expectations I might have had from the way she'd practiced this morning. I'd never tell her this, but she reminded me of Billy up there at the podium; she commanded your attention without even trying.

Or maybe I was just a little biased.

I swallowed convulsively as the wind carried yet another human's scent toward me. My throat burned with the need to hunt; with everything going on, I hadn't found the time to break away and spend a few hours out in the forest. I was going to have to make the time before I let myself get too far gone. We couldn't afford a mistake like that, and I didn't want it on my conscience, either.

"You and Bella can go whenever you want," Alice whispered beside me. "I don't see anything happening any time soon."

I nodded. "Good."

Bella finally walked through the doors, scanning the crowd and spotting us immediately. I went to meet up with her, wanting a few seconds to talk to her alone without everyone interfering. She looked incredible in the little blue dress that Alice had picked out for her, and with that ugly, yellow gown out of the way, I got to appreciate the view again. I just wanted to take her and…

"Hey," she said with a smile. "You look um," she glanced around, "thirsty."

"You have no idea," I murmured, dipping my head down to kiss her. I pulled away all too soon, well aware of the people staring at us. "Feeling better now?"

"Yes," she said emphatically. "I will never give a speech again."

"You did really well. You had nothing to worry about."

She blushed. "Thanks. Where's Jacob?"

"He took off after the ceremony. Said he'd wait for you in the parking lot."

Her brows knit. "Oh, okay. Did you happen to hear why?"

"I don't pry," I chuckled, throwing my arm around her and leading her to where the rest of my family was standing.

"I know. I just thought maybe you caught the reason why."

"I didn't. Not this time."

After receiving countless 'congratulations' and compliments on her speech from our family and some of the other students, we finally started toward the parking lot, branching off from everyone else when we saw Jacob standing next to his motorcycle grinning at Bella widely.

"Why weren't you with everyone else?" she laughed, rushing over to him.

"They stink. I needed some fresh air after spending all that time in there with them," he answered, winking at me.

"They don't stink," Bella argued, rolling her eyes.

"You need to get your nose checked. I hear there's a pretty good ENT in Port Angeles. Go make an appointment."

"Well, you don't smell that great, either," I commented before backing away to give them some privacy.

Bella gave me a puzzled look.

"I'll go wait for you at the car," I murmured, and then walked away before she could protest.

I got in the Volvo and dug through the CDs I had in the glove box, settling on one that suited my mood and played it. I kept a close watch on where Bella stood with Jacob, but I let the music drown out the sound of them talking, smiling at the sight of her laughing at something he said before finally giving him a quick hug and coming back to me.

She got in the car and buckled her seatbelt before speaking. "I thought I could convince him to come to the party, but he said he had some things in La Push to take care of. He wouldn't tell me what."

I watched her face turn down in a frown of disappointment. "Training, Bella. That's what he has to do. Sam's scheduled a pack meeting up north. They're going to go over a few new maneuvers that Jasper told them about. They want to get a head start while we're busy with graduation."

"He couldn't wait so I could be there?" she asked angrily.

I shrugged. "I think it's smart that they want to get all the time in they can. Not a single one of them has actually killed a vampire. They have instinct on their side, but they know nothing of newborns."

"Neither do I."

"And you can ask Jasper to take you out back and teach you a few things whenever you want. They can't. They have to wait for us to teach them. It's smart to practice the knowledge while it's still fresh. You can't deny that."

She crossed her arms, but nodded.

"You aren't just trying to get out of this party are you?" I asked, throwing her a lopsided smile as I put the car into gear.

"No," she laughed, "but if you'd like to take me to where they're meeting so I can skip it, you won't hear me complain."

"It's two hours, Bella. Two hours with my family and your dad. And I'm pretty sure there's an entire cake for you to eat."

She arched her brow. I knew talk of cake would get her. "What kind?"

"Chocolate."

Her lips twitched. "And I don't even have to fight the boys over it."

"No, you don't," I laughed.

I drove to the house quickly since everyone was probably already there and waiting on us. I knew Bella still hated it when I drove this fast, so I gave her my hand to grip while I raced through town and down our driveway.

I could already see that my sister had decorated the house in the school's colors as soon as I parked the car. I got out, opened the car door for Bella, and walked with her to the door, warning her about everything that I could see and hear inside so that she wasn't taken aback by the streamers hanging down from the ceiling or the balloons that were scattered everywhere.

As soon as I opened the door for Bella, Alice rushed over to us with an annoyed look on her face.

"Do you think you two could have taken any longer?" she asked, pulling Bella inside. "We've been waiting on you guys for thirty minutes already."

"Um, yes, actually. We could've. I could have driven the speed limit or peeled her out of that dress like I've wanted to all day, " I replied in a whisper.

Bella shook her head and giggled, all while her cheeks pooled with blood. "I cannot believe you just said that."

"It's the truth," I said unapologetically. "You look gorgeous today."

Her blush deepened.

"Ick, stop that. It's bad enough I have to hear it; I don't want you talking about it to me too," Alice said in disgust.

I grinned widely. "Just getting you back for the suffering I went through when you and Jasper first arrived."

Bella did her own bit of suffering the entire afternoon, allowing my family and her father to shower her with gifts and attention while Alice snapped pictures. Rosalie even made an appearance, thrusting a small present at Bella with a smile and a quiet apology for her reaction to our engagement before going off on her own again.

Change was hard for all of us at times, but it was always the hardest for Rosalie. I was trying to keep that in mind when she reacted to things the way she did, but Bella was my main priority. If Rosalie couldn't accept her as a part of the family—in the way she came into the family—then I wouldn't hesitate to cut her out of our lives.

There was no way I'd let Bella spend an eternity being anything less than happy.

After the party was over, I found Bella in the kitchen with her back to me. She was piling some of the leftover food on her plate in what I considered to be the wolves' version of cleaning up: _eating_.

I chuckled with the thought and hurried to her side, startling her.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," she said breathlessly. She popped a tiny tomato in her mouth and grinned. "Want me to have a heart attack?"

"I find that unlikely, but no, I don't." I glanced down to her plate. "I'd ask if you wanted me to put all this away before it spoils, but I don't think there'll be anything left _to_ put away at the rate you're going."

"Oh, aren't you funny?"

"Didn't you give anything to Charlie to take home?" I returned, ignoring her jab.

"He got some," she said, knitting her brows as she dug into her… dinner? Late lunch? I glanced at the clock, trying to decide what to call it.

"Ah. Want to save it for later and hunt with me?" I asked hopefully.

"No way," she said immediately. "Why would I want to eat raw meat when I have a plate full of roasted chicken in front of me?"

"Bella, you promised," I reminded her.

"I know. And I will. Just… not today, okay?"

I groaned. "So you want me to leave you here to go off and hunt while Victoria plots to kill you?"

"Your family's here. They won't let anything happen to me," she returned.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't argue with that. "Fine, I'll see if Jasper wants to go with me. But you're coming with me next time. You never know what could happen in the future. You need to know how to feed yourself when you're phased. Besides, I thought you wanted to watch me…" I let the statement hang.

"Oh, you're mean," she laughed, reaching up to grab my shirt and pull my mouth to hers.

"Never claimed to be otherwise," I murmured against her lips. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I know you will."

* * *

"It feels so stuffy in here," Bella breathed as she walked inside Charlie's house.

It had been two weeks since I suggested that she and Charlie move out until Victoria was found. The house was protected at all times now, but trying to make sure every pack member—every family member of mine—was present when Jasper held his training sessions was impossible while they lived there. Our attention was constantly being divided between training for the fight against Victoria's newborns and keeping Charlie safe. Someone was always missing a vital piece of information. It was frustrating, because I knew we'd never defeat the mass of newborns attacking us if we all weren't well prepared.

But I'd come up with a solution. Charlie was safest in La Push. Bella was safest at my house. If they were both willing—and thankfully, they were—Charlie could stay with Sue until after the battle and Bella could move in with me. We were getting married in just a few weeks' time anyway; she was always there planning things with Alice or getting ready to head out to the woods for training as it was. Why not just make it official? No one would be left behind to watch over Charlie; I felt comforted by the knowledge that they were both safe, and I loved having Bella move all of her stuff into my room. I just wished that we had some privacy.

"We can crack the windows," I said, "and have someone come back later to shut the house before the rain comes in tonight."

She nodded and glanced around the empty living room. With the wedding just days away, she and Alice had gone into planning overdrive. She'd insisted that we stop by the house and pick up her grandmother's silver locket so that Alice could attach it to her bouquet somehow the night before the wedding.

"Where's it at?" I asked, bringing her attention back to me.

"In Charlie's room. He said he kept it in a box in the top drawer of his dresser."

"I'll go get it," I offered. I wanted to give her some space. For some reason, it just felt like she needed it.

"Thanks."

I nodded and rushed up the stairs to retrieve the locket. I found it exactly where Charlie had said it would be, and then headed back downstairs to take Bella home before I hunted again. I'd been twice since graduation, and both times, she'd stubbornly refused to go.

I found Bella in the kitchen, concentrating on a letter in one hand while toying with her hair with the other.

"Renee can't come," she said flatly. "Phil broke his leg. She says she left a message on the machine and emailed me, but I never responded. I've been so wrapped up in this wedding, I haven't even checked my email since I moved to your house."

"I'm… sorry," I said, moving to her side.

"It's just as well," she sighed as she looked up at me. "She's happy with Phil now. I think if she came back to Forks and saw Billy, it would just ruin all of that. I can't even imagine seeing you for the first time in years and not… touching you. And can you imagine how uncomfortable Charlie would be watching that? I should've never invited her in the first place."

"Not invite your mother?" I scoffed. "How would that even work?"

"Yeah, you're right. It would've caused even more issues for us. As if we don't have enough going on right now…"

"Speaking of which, I need to get you home. We'll all be hunting more frequently until Victoria comes to keep up our strength. I'm going with Emmett in a little while."

Bella's stomach suddenly growled, causing both of our eyes to widen. "I want to go," she said. She folded the letter Renee had sent her and shoved it in her pocket.

"You want to… Wait, what?" I asked, certain I'd heard her wrong.

"I want to go with you. Come on," she said hurriedly. "We can hunt the woods here, can't we?"

"No, but we can use them to get far enough away from civilization that no one will see us," I responded.

"Okay, let's do that." She started toward the back door, only to stop when she saw I hadn't moved. "Aren't you coming?"

I forced myself to walk toward her. Her behavior was so odd that I didn't know what to do next. "I'm just a little surprised you want to come, love," I admitted. "You've been so stubborn about eating…" I searched for the right word, "raw."

"Take it while you can, Edward," she laughed as she headed out the door, not bothering to wait for me as she started across the yard.

We stopped just inside the line of trees so Bella could take off her clothes. I sent a quick text to Emmett to let him know that he'd need to recruit Rosalie for a hunting partner and watched her strip out of the corner of my eye. It seemed like she grew more beautiful to me every time I saw her; my hands twitched to touch her.

She carefully folded her clothes and placed them under a fallen tree in case someone came by, and then handed me her ring. I slipped it into my pocket without question. This wasn't some quick run up to La Push and back. We'd be gone for hours until she got the hang of tracking and killing her prey and we both had our fill. Neither of us wanted it to be stolen.

As soon as she phased, we took off toward the mountains, not slowing until we were a safe distance away from any place where humans frequently camped. I took her to one of my favorite places to hunt. It offered a wide range of animals to feed on and had a fantastic view of the valley below.

"Your senses are your best weapons," I said as I stopped and turned to face her. "Your instincts will tell you what to do. If you stop and focus on what's around us, what do you hear?"

I could see her brows knit as she listened to the sounds around us. Her eyes suddenly snapped to mine, and I knew she'd heard the hearts of the herd of elk at the bottom of the mountain.

"Phase back," I instructed so I could talk to her.

The air shimmered around her, and with the instantaneous explosion I still hadn't gotten used to, she was back in human form.

"Heartbeats," she breathed, smiling up at me excitedly.

I grinned back. "How many?"

"Five?" she guessed.

"Close. Six. Now phase back and track their scent."

She eagerly phased back into her wolf form and took in the air around us. She nudged her head to the east, indicating the direction of where the elk were grazing, and then looked back at me expectantly.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked with a laugh. "Go."

She leapt away from me and bounded down the mountain, slowing when she grew closer to the herd. She agilely lowered her body to the ground, creeping up on the unsuspecting animals. I hung back and just watched, marveling at the sight of her stalking her prey. She was a natural. She didn't need me to tell her what to do.

A low growl built in her chest just before she rushed forward, scattering the elk, and started chasing down the largest of the does in the herd. The thunderous sounds of hooves kicking up the dirt and Bella's paws following close behind echoed around us. She lunged for the doe, sinking her teeth deep into her neck and fighting her to the ground. It seemed like it took a while, but it had actually only taken Bella a matter of seconds to kill the doe and start feeding off of her.

I quickly caught up with the buck and took him down, letting the hot, thick liquid coat my burning throat while I kept my eyes on Bella. She was safe—Victoria had yet to track her when she was phased—but I still wasn't taking any chances.

I shoved the drained carcass aside and walked over to where Bella had practically devoured her kill. She backed away from the dead animal and shifted again.

"I just… Oh, my God," she said in shock, bringing her hand up to her bloodied mouth.

"It's not that bad, is it?" I asked, giving her a worried look.

She shook her head. "It was good," she answered in disbelief. "_So good_."

My laugh caught in my throat as I finally took in the way she looked standing there before me. She was dirty, bloodied, and her hair was in a mess of tangles from fighting with the doe. Her eyes widened as they stared down at the animal. Her naked chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing, sending desire rocketing through me. The blood, the sight, the smell of her…

"Holy shit," I said uncharacteristically and charged at her, unable to control this sudden… _craving_.

I pinned her to the nearest tree and took her mouth with mine, greedily kissing her as my hands explored her body. The heavy taste of blood mixed with Bella's natural flavor had me spiraling out of control. I wanted to devour her like she had the doe… I wanted to send her into mindless oblivious, make it so she couldn't walk home.

"Jesus," I gasped, stunned by my thoughts.

My mouth roamed her body, tasting her, nipping at her neck, sucking at her breasts. I spread her legs and ran my hand over her, feeling how hot and excited she was already. I plunged my fingers inside her and glanced up as I put my mouth on her, watching her head fall back and a moan escape her lips.

She rocked her hips into my motions, gripping at my hair as she came hard. The speed and intensity of her orgasm had me smirking as I made my way back up her body. I stopped at one of her breasts and bit down, careful not to break the skin.

"Edward," she groaned, fighting to pull my shirt over my head.

"You want this like I do, don't you?" I said thickly.

She moaned in agreement as she fumbled with my jeans. "I don't know what it is," she said, staring at me intensely.

"I don't care what it is," I growled back. I grunted as she wrapped her hand around me, closing my eyes as she moved up and down, squeezing me…

I couldn't take any more. I grabbed her hips and lifted her up so that her legs were wrapped around my waist. I watched her cry out as I pushed her hand away and plowed into her, letting everything that hung in the air finally consume me.

It was like I had been taken over by some unknown force. I was probably being a bit overly rough with her, but I couldn't help myself. At one point, she had to arch away from the tree to avoid the annoyance of becoming a piece of human… ish sandpaper. She tightened her arms and legs around me and pushed her body even closer to mine. I had enough sense to move one hand from her hips and brace myself against the tree, although, the sound of the tree cracking as I drove into her—into it—had me backing away from it before it collapsed with my movements.

She clung to me and trailed her tongue over my jaw until she reached my ear. "Sit down," she breathed. I nearly dropped her when that one, simple, seductively whispered command caused everything in my body to tighten and ache for release.

I fell to my knees and stared up at her through the curtain of hair that fell over her face. She grabbed at my shoulders for leverage, sliding down on me, rolling her hips, and making me see stars.

_More._

As if she could read my mind, she brought her body down on me harder and went faster with each pass. Her body heated under my touch, becoming slick with sweat as she moved.

She tightened around me, and I took my hand and snaked it in between our bodies. I circled her clit until she finally fell apart at my hand. I waited until her orgasm ebbed, and then gripped her hips with my hands again, bringing her down on me one last time as I came inside her.

I held her against me and waited until she'd caught her breath before taking her face and kissing her soundly. I wanted to do that over and over again until she could no longer move.

She reacted to the kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck and moaning into my mouth, until all at once she pulled away.

She twisted away from me and ran over to the tree, where she doubled over herself and threw up everything she'd just ingested of the doe.

I was at her side at once, taking her hair in my hands and waiting anxiously for whatever it was to pass.

"Bella, are you all right?" I asked as she stood back up.

She nodded once and gave me a sheepish look. "I think I ate too much."

"Ate too much?" I laughed. "Well, next time stop before you've eaten the entire kill."

She put her hands on her hips. "Shut up."

I snickered a little more before I finally schooled myself. "I need to finish hunting so I can get you back home. I take it you're done?"

She still looked a little green. "Yeah, I'm definitely not eating any more raw animals today."

_If ever_, I thought wryly.

"By the way, sorry for being a little too rough back there." At this, she gaped at me. "I noticed that you sort of flinched away from the tree, and- "

She cut me off before I could finish my thought. "Are you kidding? Is that supposed to be a joke? I know your primary concerns are and always will be my happiness and wellbeing, and being responsible for causing me to feel even the tiniest bit of discomfort just about kills you, but you really need to cut yourself some slack. I have no real explanation for what just happened back there, but I have a pretty good idea. For all intents and purposes, we're animals. Mated animals, no less. What we just did was amazing, and I think… very natural."

I simply couldn't disagree with her. It had been amazing, and the more I thought about it, especially when I really began to consider that… force… that took me over, I couldn't help but admit that she was absolutely correct about the natural feel of it all.

* * *

**Bella**

"Bella, are you even listening to me?" Alice asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

I shook myself out of my daze. "I'm sorry, Alice. I'm just so… tired. Can't we finish this later?"

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Bella, there is no 'later'. You're getting married in two days."

My stomach did a little flip with her words.

I groaned with the nausea, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep until next year. Between wedding planning and early morning training sessions in the woods, I was exhausted. The only thing that kept me going was that I knew that after the wedding, there would be a slight lull in activities around here, and I could finally try to catch up on all the sleep I'd been missing out on lately.

I squared my shoulders, determined to get everything finished before it got too late. If I could just manage eight hours of sleep before I had to get up for the three am training session...

"All right, what do I need to decide on now?" I asked through a yawn.

She pointed to the tables that were set up in the living room. I was so tired; I hadn't even noticed them until now.

Each table was covered with flowers and candles, but they were all different. None of them had the same layout or were even the same shade of purple. Yet somehow, they complimented each other.

Good God, this was confusing.

"Um, I thought we just said purple," I said, voicing my sleepy confusion. "I don't really know-"

"I thought we could use different table designs," Alice interrupted. "Every table will have the silver, imperial purple, and white to tie it all together, but none of the decorations will be identical, and I'll use different shades of purple as an accent color on each table. Oh, and the chairs will be covered in white with an imperial purple, tulle sash. What do you think?" she said in a rush.

There she went, speaking Greek again.

"I thought we said simple, Alice. This is kind of elaborate, don't you think?"

"No, not really. I wanted to do these huge floral arrangements in tall, stemmed vases, but I didn't. _That _would have been too elaborate for you."

I sighed. "It looks good. Really good, actually. I take it you already knew I'd say that?"

"Sort of. I caught a glimpse of Carlisle and Esme sitting at a table like this one," she gestured to the table in the center, "and ordered everything immediately. I'm starting to get the hang of seeing around your… wolfiness."

I smiled at her made up term and shook my head. "Of course you are."

"Hand me that bag behind you, will you? There are some bright pink flowers in there I wanted to get your opinion on for the wedding party's table. I thought we could add a little drama to it and make it special."

"Alice, there is no wedding party. Just you and Jasper."

"You and Edward are included too."

"That's four people," I objected on a laugh. "How special can it be?"

"Come on, just look at them."

"Fine." I twisted around to grab the black bag off of the floor. The quick movement had my stomach rolling again, and I literally had to clench my teeth and race to the bathroom so I didn't throw up all over the pristine hardwood floor.

"Again?" Alice called after me. "You have got to see a doctor! I can't have you puking in your wedding dress!"

I stayed hunched over the toilet until I was sure that I wasn't going to heave anymore, and then laid my head on the cool tile floor.

"No doctor," I managed. "They have needles."

"You're still 'sick'," Edward said from the doorway. His eyes were wild with worry; his mouth was turned down into a disapproving frown.

"I bet it's just nerves. I was going over wedding decorations with Alice just now."

"First, your stomach was upset from the nerves of having to go up and give the valedictorian speech back at graduation – which, might I remind you, was over two weeks ago. Then, you were sick from the raw meat. Now, you're back to claiming that it's nerves?" he said as he walked over to me.

I pursed my lips. When he put it that way, it sounded ridiculous. "Um, maybe I've just got a bug. It'll go away, I'm sure.

"Bella, you're a Quileute shifter with an abnormally fast metabolism and ability to heal. I highly doubt it's just a _bug_."

That one sentence was without a doubt the most petrifying thing I'd ever heard. He was absolutely right. I shouldn't be sick. I shouldn't even be able to get a cold, and yet here I was lying on the bathroom floor after I'd thrown up one of the innumerable times in a span of just days.

Something was seriously wrong.

He could see how scared I was, and crouched down beside me. "Bella," he said gently, pushing my hair out of my face, "you need to see a doctor. Let Carlisle examine you."

"I'll be okay," I said shakily. "No need to bother Carlisle."

"Please," he said pleadingly. "I need to know that something's not wrong. You're the first female member of the tribe to phase, and we have no way of knowing…" He took in a shuddering breath. "I'm going a little crazy here watching this."

I glanced up at him and saw that he was just as terrified as I was. It was enough to finally make me see a little sense and agree. I couldn't let him go through this just because I wanted to live in some fantasy world and pretend I was all right. I was anything but all right.

I nodded and saw him visibly relax with relief. "Can you walk or do you want me to carry you to his study?"

I glared at him. "Can I _walk_?"

"Okay, bad choice of words. But do you need help with anything before we go up?"

"You can't ask him first?"

"Bella, you live in a house full of vampires. They can hear us talking, you know. He already knows you're coming. He's getting everything set up as we speak."

An embarrassed blush rose to my cheeks. "Sorry, I'm a little… out of it lately."

"Maybe you should skip a couple of training sessions. We can stay here, and you can catch up on your sleep…"

"I'll be fine after we get married, and I can finally knock that off of my 'to do' list. It's too bad we're not going on a honeymoon," I teased as I sat up slowly. "I could use a vacation right now."

"As soon as Victoria's dead, we'll go for as long as you'd like, love," he promised, helping me to my feet.

I swayed a little and had to use his arms to keep myself from tipping over. My head cleared almost immediately, and I started toward the sink to rinse my mouth out.

As soon as I was finished, we went upstairs and found Carlisle reading at his desk. He gave us a smile and motioned for me to sit down in one of the many places at the other side of the room.

"How are you feeling? Any better?" Carlisle asked me as I crossed the room.

"Yeah. I could get checked out at the hospital if you'd rather," I said awkwardly.

"Don't be silly. It would be my pleasure, and I have everything we need here," he answered.

"Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt anything you were doing."

"Bella, please. I love every member of my family, but from a medical standpoint, since everyone else is a vampire, there's not much I can do for them. With you, however, I am afforded the unique opportunity of putting my training and skills to use on someone I love; on a family member. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

I teared up a bit at this. He made excellent points. While there is a great deal of comfort one gains in the knowledge that those they love are immortal, by nature, Carlisle is a caretaker. I could tell that there was a part of him that wished he could be a typical doctor-dad and stitch up his sons' cuts or hold his daughters' hands when they were sick.

"There's another issue that we should probably speak about," Carlisle gave me a level look. "I simply don't know enough about your biology to be comfortable with letting you go to the hospital or some other doctor. Some of what they might discover about you… well, what we would consider commonplace, they would consider a medical miracle. It almost certainly would draw a great deal of attention, and put both secrets in jeopardy."

"Oh. Yeah, that's a really good point. I hadn't even thought of. Well, if you're sure you don't mind and you have time, let's do this."

Carlisle came to sit across from where I sat on the couch and smiled reassuringly. "Okay, so I think I know your symptoms, but why don't you go ahead and list them off in case I've missed something."

"Well, vomiting, obviously. I'm tired, and I get kind of dizzy every now and then. It sounds like the flu, doesn't it? Crap, I've got some weird wolf flu two days before I'm supposed to get married."

He chuckled. "It could be, but I'd like to run some tests and do a physical examination to rule out anything else."

My eyes widened.

"Nothing too personal," he hurried. "Just things like taking your temperature, labs, blood pressure… the usual. If you don't mind, I want to do a little research on you. I might have more answers and know what to expect in the future, if I do."

I bit down on my lip nervously. Did I want to know things like that?

He looked so eager with curiosity that I finally agreed. Who was I to spoil his fun?

He asked a series of questions, ending with the most awkward for us both. "When was your last period?"

I blanked. I had absolutely no idea when the last time I'd…

"I have no clue," I answered, counting the days back in my head. It had been before I'd started phasing. "Oh, my God. I really am a freak."

"Don't be alarmed," Carlisle said comfortingly. "Female vampires don't have that continuous cycle, either. It's why I wanted to study you, for lack of a better phrase. We could learn so much that could possibly help all of the pack members in the future."

I swallowed hard, trying not to think about it. I was just finally starting to come to terms with being the only female in the pack and shifting into a wolf at will. This just made me feel even more like an outcast.

"Hey," Edward whispered, scrutinizing my face. "What are you thinking?"

I gave him a weak smile. "Nothing. I just feel like an idiot, that's all."

"You've had a lot to deal with. Don't worry about not noticing. I hadn't either, if it makes you feel any better," he replied with a tight smile.

I managed to laugh a little.

Edward gave me his hand as soon as Carlisle pulled a needle and a vial for my blood out of his bag. I cringed the second he put the tourniquet around my arm, squeezed my eyes closed, and gripped Edward's hand tightly while I tried not to faint from the anticipation of the blood.

"Just a little prick," Carlisle murmured as he aligned the needle to a vein.

Nothing.

I opened my eyes and saw that the needle was bent and hadn't even punctured my skin.

"What the-?"

Carlisle seemed stunned. "I'll have to get a stronger needle."

Carlisle got the biggest needle he could find and had to exert a fair amount of force to puncture it through my skin. My temperature was taken and written down; it was extremely high, but I already knew that my body ran hotter now. It now made lot of sense for why I couldn't go to a normal doctor.

Every inch of my body was examined—my reflexes, my tonsils, my eyes, lymph nodes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary by Carlisle's reactions, and Edward was exactly the same. He just sat there with his brows knit, watching everything with the most intensity I'd ever seen from him, never giving me the slightest clue about anything he might've seen that was a little off.

I laid back at Carlisle's instruction and lifted my shirt so that he could palpate my stomach. I expected for it to be the same as everything else and just watched his stoic reaction as he moved lower down my abdomen. He abruptly stopped his movements, staring down at where his hands had stilled. His face quickly morphed into that of disbelieving wonder.

"Incredible," he breathed.

Edward gasped next to me as he heard what Carlisle was thinking. His hand shot out to feel at where Carlisle's cool hands still sat, gasping again as he carefully pushed down.

"How is this possible?" he asked.

"What?" I asked anxiously, leaning up and looking over at Edward's startled face. It was enough to bring me to tears. "What is it? Am I going to die?" I knew I was being stupid, but I couldn't help it. I had no idea what was going on.

"No, you're not dying," Carlisle laughed. "The opposite actually. I need to verify…" he trailed off and grabbed his bag.

"Verify what?"

He gave me an apologetic look. "Just give me a little time. I want to make sure I'm right before I tell you anything."

I nodded mutely.

The door closed behind him, and I finally chanced another look at Edward. He was absolutely still, not even glancing over at me when I stood up and began to pace the room. He was frozen in his own kind of shock. He was completely useless, leaving me to my freak out on my own, and I actually got a little angry at one point. He could have at least had the decency to give me an idea of what was going on.

"You're such a jerk," I grumbled under my breath, knowing that he could hear me.

He blinked, finally snapping out of his stupor. "I'm sorry?"

"You're a jerk," I repeated, glaring over at him. "You know what's going on and instead of maybe… Oh, I don't know… trying to keep me from having some kind of panic attack, you're just… sitting there!"

"You're right. I'm not thinking straight."

"Thank you." I waited for him to continue. "Well?" I asked when he said nothing else.

He blew his breath out loudly and ran a hand through his hair. "Bella, sit down. You need to be sitting down when I tell you this." The uncertainty in his eyes melted away my anger instantly and caused my blood to run cold.

Unthinkingly, I dropped to the couch. "What?"

"Carlisle thinks… _I think_… you're-"

Just then, my cell phone began ringing. We both jumped up, somewhat startled. It was Carlisle, so I put him on speaker.

"So I have some big news for you both, but I really feel like this is something I should tell you both in person. I promise, Bella, everything is fine. I'll be home as soon as I can."

I was a little disappointed that he didn't just tell us—well, me since Edward _the Jerk_ seemed to already know—but the tone of Carlisle's voice gave me pause. It was both serious and excited.

"I'm sorry, love. I know you are driving yourself crazy with what this, but I swear, you're fine, and I really think this is something that would be best told by Carlisle."

The sincerity of expression was what really forced me to engage my seldom used ability for patience. I felt the overwhelming need to be close to Edward, so I climbed into his lap and we put our arms around each other.

Five minutes later, Carlisle found us tangled in that same position on the couch. We looked up as he dragged his desk chair over to us. A big smile split his face when he took in our position. "I'm sorry I left you two waiting, but this was too big, too important to not make absolutely sure."

At that, I felt Edward's body go slack, almost like he was going to pass out. I quickly grabbed him and pull him closer to my body.

Once he seemed like he had gathered himself, I looked up and took in Edward's awed face. "You okay?"

He laughed—it was a beautiful, amazed sound—and nodded his head. "You're pregnant," he said simply. "I can't believe it."

Carlisle laughed at this. "Believe it."

I felt like I must have misheard them, or was perhaps dreaming, so I shifted my gaze over to Carlisle with what must have been a clear look of confusion on my face.

His golden eyes flashed to mine, and a look over tenderness tinged with excitement overtook his face. "You're pregnant, Bella. Quite far, actually. I brought an unused ultrasound machine home from the hospital so we can take a look at the fetus. At the rate of growth, I don't think they'll miss it before we're finished…"

I stopped listening to his ramblings and glanced down at my stomach. I twisted around in Edward's lap, trying to see what they were talking about, but was unable to see any difference. I looked exactly the same.

"No, I'm not. It's impossible. I'm mated to a vampire, for crying out loud. He can't… I mean, we-"

Emmett, who I'd just realized was the one responsible for wheeling in the ultrasound machine, snickered. I narrowed my eyes in warning, instantly stopping whatever idiotic comment that had been ready to come out of his mouth.

"Carlisle, run the test again," I said frantically. "There's no way-"

A sob cut off any words I might have tried to say. As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. The symptoms all matched up: the exhaustion, the nausea, the dizziness. It was always staring me in the face. I'd just been too blind to see it for what it really was.

"Oh. My. God," I whispered in shock. I'd never once considered that we could have a baby. Everything in biology said we should be unable to. And it wasn't something I wanted, anyway. Not until now. Now, it was all I could see, having a baby with Edward. Visions of bronze hair, green eyes, and a crooked smile, all on a miniature version of his father flooded my mind. Someone we created…

A sudden burst of excitement rushed through me. "Oh, my God!" I giggled, grabbing a hold of Edward's shoulders. "We're having a baby!"

He chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "So we are."

My face fell. "You're not happy?"

"Of course I'm happy," he said, reaching out and cupping my face. "I'm just scared. There's no precedence for this. I have no idea what it could it could do to you as it develops or what it is or if it will even be healthy… It's a hybrid. I-"

"That's exactly what I intend to find out, Edward," Carlisle interjected. "Emmett and Sam are going to start going through each of our histories, see if there's anything that could give us an idea of what to expect. I'll monitor Bella with the ultrasound daily. They'll both be fine," he said emphatically. "I won't let anything happen to them."

Edward nodded once.

The machine was powered up, and I was asked to lie down again. I rested my head in Edward's lap and blindly reached for his hand, needing to feel some kind of reassurance that he was, in fact, happy, like he'd said he was—like I was.

He interlaced his fingers with mine and brought our hands to his lips, kissing the tips of my fingers while Carlisle draped a napkin over my jeans and squirted some kind of clear, jelly-like stuff all over my stomach.

I sucked in a breath as soon it touched my skin.

"Sorry," he said, pulling the wand out of its holder, "I didn't have time to warm it up."

He maneuvered the wand over my stomach, pressing down and searching for an image of the baby, only to see nothing. He pressed a few buttons on the machine that caused the sound of the baby's heartbeat to flow through the room.

I melted at that sound.

"Listen to that," Emmett said to Edward, flashing his dimples. "You did that. Your little Eddies knocked her up."

"Emmett," Edward groaned.

"It's strong," Carlisle said, concentrating on the screen. "I can't get a visual, though. The membrane's too thick or too… I'm not sure, really. I just can't see it."

"The baby's okay, though, right?" I asked, chewing on my lip.

"Seems to be." He put the wand back and wiped my stomach clean. "I think you should take it easy. Edward's right. We have no idea what to expect, and I don't want you phasing or training or doing anything overly strenuous that could cause any problems for either of you."

"I've been phasing," I gasped, shooting up off the couch and nearly knocking my head into Edward's. "All this time… What if I hurt him?"

Edward's brow quirked with my confidence. "Him?"

I arched mine back. "Got a problem with that?"

"Not at all."

"You didn't hurt the baby," Carlisle said confidently. "The heartbeat suggests that it's thriving. Don't worry so much."

Yeah, right.

Carlisle flew around the room, putting things away while simultaneously pulling old books off of the shelves and placing them on his desk for Emmett to start looking through. I turned to Edward, desperately needing to know what was going on in his head.

"What do you think? Honestly," I asked, climbing back into his lap.

"I'm having a hard time believing that all of this is real. That I have you, after everything I put you through and now, we're having a baby. It's…"

"Mind-blowing?" I offered.

"Yeah." He ran his hand down my arm. "What do _you _think?"

"I'm excited. Really excited. But I'm scared. Like you." All of his concerns were valid, and that was the most frightening thing of it all. We had no idea what to expect.

"Don't be. Carlisle was right, we won't let anything happen to either of you."

I snuggled up against him and closed my eyes. "How did this happen?"

"I'm pretty sure you know," Edward whispered in my ear with a laugh.

"Stop it. I'm serious. This shouldn't be happening."

"I have a theory about that," Carlisle said, suddenly in front of us.

"Which is?" Edward prompted.

"We hear of incubus and succubus encounters all the time. The result, sadly for the human, is almost always death. So how were we to know that we couldn't still have children, Edward? We've been assuming all of this time, because we didn't have the facts. None of us have first hand experience with this."

"The Denalis do," Edward countered.

"But they're female," Carlisle argued. "You just proved that a male vampire could still reproduce, by simply being with Bella."

"All right, I can agree with that theory. But what about Bella?" he asked, tightening his hold on me. "She's not had a single period since we've come home. I'm sure of it. Wouldn't that mean that she hasn't been ovulating?"

"What if she was in heat?"

"Excuse me?" I nearly screeched. To be compared to a bitch in heat was just… insulting.

"Hear me out," Carlisle said to me. "Let's say you were feeling the desire to mate with Edward and seal the imprint. But what if there's more to it? A biological drive to create life that continued until you conceived?"

"But don't most females in heat… bleed?" I asked, blushing hotly. "I didn't."

"Who said you would ever resemble a wolf, other than with the form you can shift into?" he asked back.

"Nobody."

"Exactly. You're unlike anything we've ever seen before, Bella. You're the product of an imprint and you're the first female member of the tribe to phase. You imprinted on a being that was considered the tribe's mortal enemy for years. Who knows what you can do; what this baby will be able to do?"

I laughed at his enthusiasm. "You're really enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"You're Carlisle's wet dream," Emmett said from where he'd been studying.

"Ew, come on, Emmett," I said, scrunching up my nose.

"It's just a theory, Bella," Carlisle said as he turned away. "I'll know more when I've run those tests on that blood you gave me."

With everything that had just happened, I was even more tired and could barely hold my eyes open to shower and brush my teeth. Edward was being… well, Edward. He was a little overbearing, insisting that we both hang back at the house and skip the training session so I could rest.

I was too tired to argue.

I curled up with my back against him and closed my eyes, but I couldn't quite shut my mind off. We were going to be parents. It was unfathomable.

Edward began humming my lullaby, relaxing me almost instantaneously. It calmed me enough to finally feel the first movements of the baby, a quick fluttering deep in my belly.

My eyes snapped open and my hands went to where Edward's hands sat, pushing them out the way.

"Didn't you feel that?" I asked, willing for the baby to do it again.

"Feel what?"

"The baby. It just moved," I said excitedly. "You didn't feel it?"

He kissed my hair. "I didn't. I can't hear his heart beating yet, either. I'm a little disappointed, to tell you the truth."

I grinned widely and turned in his arms. "So you're honestly okay with this?"

"Are you going to ask me that all the time now?" he chuckled.

"I might. Don't tempt me."

"I'm okay with it, Bella. Way more than okay, really. I promise."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews and adds... Thanks to Stratan for getting to work on this sucker only 6 hours after I sent it. He seriously makes all this better.**

* * *

Chapter 9

**Bella**

The low rumbling of my stomach pulled me out of a deep sleep. I burrowed down against Edward, determined to sleep some more, but it was insistent and unrelenting. Annoying, really. It growled again, this time louder, causing Edward to shake me with a silent laugh.

"It's not funny," I yawned. "I'm still sleepy."

"The baby demands food," he murmured playfully. "Must take after his mother."

I grinned against his shoulder, still unwilling to move.

"What do you want?"

"Vampires can cook without human supervision?" I returned.

He shrugged. "I can try."

"Nah, I'll go with you. I can't lay here all day."

"Yes, you can. Carlisle said to take it easy."

"No, I can't." I turned away from him to get out of bed. "I'll take it easy, but I'm not going to lay here and do nothing until the baby's born. We don't know how long it'll take and-"

"I hate to interrupt you," he pointed at my stomach as I stood up, " but I don't think it'll be that much longer. Not at that rate."

I slowly looked down to see a tiny bump where my once flat stomach was. "Overnight?" I gasped.

"Seems that way."

"Alice is going to kill me," I grumbled. I hesitantly reached down and felt the bump. It was hard, like a perfectly round stone under my skin. "No wonder we can't see you."

"Why is Alice going to kill you?" he asked as he flashed over to my side. There was really no other way to describe it. One second, he was lying on the bed, the next, he was standing next to me, lightly pushing my hand away so he could feel the baby himself.

"What if I'm bigger tomorrow? How am I going to be able to fit into my wedding dress?"

"Hmm. I suppose that does present a problem." He threw a crooked grin down at me. "It's solid. He's well protected," he said in reference to the baby.

"He's like you."

"Maybe," he admitted reluctantly.

"It's true. Nothing can get through your skin except the teeth of another vampire or the teeth of the wolves," I clarified.

He made a face. "I'd rather him be more like you. More… human."

"You're not completely inhuman…"

"It's a pretense, Bella. I don't have to act this way."

Now it was my turn to make a face. "Are you just going to argue with me all morning?"

He chuckled. "No, let's get you two fed."

I quickly got dressed into an old t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants before heading down to the kitchen with Edward. We were in such a good mood, on the verge of being parents and getting married tomorrow… and then our laughter just suddenly died when we walked into the kitchen and saw Rosalie standing there with Esme.

"Bella! How are you this morning?" Esme asked excitedly.

If there was one advantage of living with vampires, it was that it cut down on the amount of times you had to say, "I'm pregnant". We just had to figure out how to tell the tribe and my parents now. Edward's family was automatically taken care of.

"Sleepy. Hungry," I answered sheepishly.

"But not sick?"

"Not at the moment, no."

She looked like she was just about to explode from happiness. "Good!"

I giggled awkwardly as I glanced over at Rosalie. Her eyes darted between Edward and me. "You didn't come to Jasper's session last night," she said flatly.

"Um, no?" It came out like a question since I was completely confused. Carlisle had said that I wasn't supposed to phase, and I was so tired that I didn't bother arguing with Edward last night when he suggested we skip the training session. Rosalie should have heard all of this… "Oh, my God," I said in sudden realization. "You didn't come back with Emmett? You don't know?"

Edward mumbled something too low for me to catch.

"Know what?" She glanced over at Esme, who was still smiling. "Alice pulled me away from the house, claiming that Jasper was too busy planning for last night's training session to hunt with her. It… She lied, didn't she?"

No one said a word.

"_What is going on_?"

"Bella and Edward are having a baby!" Esme blurted out. "They found out while you were out with Emmett."

Shit.

"You're what?" she shrieked. She wildly looked me over. "That's… impossible."

"That's what we thought," Edward replied, creeping closer to me as if-

"Rose!"

In just a blink, Rosalie was standing in front of me. Her gorgeous face was contorted by a snarl, freezing me in terror. "Why?" she demanded. "Why come into this family and turn it all upside down?"

Edward was a blur in front of me. He grabbed Rosalie's arms and threw her against the wall ovens with a fierce growl. The groan of the steel caving in on itself sounded around me. "Don't touch her."

"Why would I want to touch her?" she seethed back. "I can't stand her."

"You know _exactly_ why," he returned.

Rosalie jerked around, trying to break free. "I just want to see if you're lying."

"Fine," he said through his teeth, not releasing his hold on her. "But don't you dare hurt her."

"What the hell is going on?" Emmett boomed as he walked through the door. "Let her go, Edward!"

"Emmett, stay out of it," Esme said calmly.

Emmett's head whipped over to where Esme was standing. "What?" he asked in shock.

"Rosalie needs to be contained right now."

My head was spinning with how fast all of this was happening.

"You think I'd hurt her?" Rosalie asked Edward incredulously.

"I heard what you thought," he said simply. The look on his face was just as he'd claimed to be: inhuman and utterly amazing. I'd never seen anything so strong… protective before.

My hands automatically came to rest on my stomach as I thought about just how lucky this baby was to have him.

Rosalie followed my movements, watching my hands still over the baby. Her face crumpled into the most heartbroken expression I'd ever witnessed, and she snatched her arms away from Edward and took a step to the side.

"Show me," she said, taking a deep breath.

I took a chance and looked over at Edward, who was still focused solely on Rosalie. He dragged his hands through his hair, taming it slightly, and then nodded.

I lifted my shirt up just enough to expose my stomach. She stared at it blankly for a moment before starting toward me again.

Esme and Edward were crouched in front of me in an instant, but this time I didn't need their protection. My body shook with the need to phase, to keep both the baby and myself safe. A snarl burst from my chest as the room vibrated. Everything went hazy…

"Bella, don't phase," Carlisle yelled from where he and Jasper stood at the doorway, ready to join in at a moment's notice.

I took a calming breath and slowly started to regain focus. Rosalie was shouting at me.

"It's not fair," she continued. All at once, everything was clear again. I blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the confusion.

Emmett reached out to touch her. "Babe, come on. Bella didn't do this on purpose."

"It's not fair," she repeated. "Why do you get everything? What made you so goddamned special?"

"Rosalie, if you do not treat Bella with some kind of respect, then-"

"What?" Rosalie challenged Esme. "What will you do?"

"You won't be welcome here," Esme said sternly, reaching back and grabbing my hand. "She is family. She is Edward's mate. She is a wonderful girl who just happened to be blessed with the best of both of our worlds. If you can't accept that, you can leave."

"Carlisle wouldn't-"

"This baby is incredibly important," Carlisle cut her off. "We don't know how it even exists. You know we love you, Rosalie, but do you honestly think we'd risk its life so you could stay here and seek some kind of revenge, if that's what you're planning?"

Rosalie looked appalled. "I would never hurt it," she gasped.

"But you wouldn't hesitate to kill Bella, no matter what it would do to me," Edward snapped. "To do what? Play out some kind of mother fantasy with Emmett when she's gone? Hoping I'd be too destroyed to care about the baby?"

Emmett's eyes widened. "Rose, tell me that's not what you were thinking."

Rosalie said nothing, just straightened her hair out and stared stoically at me. She blinked, and then turned to Emmett. "I'll stay somewhere else. I don't need this."

She stormed off, brushing past Jasper, Carlisle, and Alice as she left the room. The second she was out of sight, my knees gave out, and Edward turned to catch me before I hit the ground.

"Bella, are you all right?" he asked, brushing my hair off my forehead.

"Yeah, just… tired?" I laughed shakily. Reining in the need to phase had drained me.

He led me over to one of the chairs and let Carlisle examine me. After a few seconds of that, I twisted away from him in annoyance.

"I'm fine, you guys. I swear. I'm just tired, that's all. Trying not to phase was… hard," I finished lamely.

Edward didn't move or blink.

"Can I eat now?" I asked, hoping to lighten things up.

"Of course you can," Esme replied.

I got up and started across the room. I could feel their eyes bore into my back as I pulled the carton of eggs out of the refrigerator, and I could hear Rosalie tearing things apart on her way out the door. Her footsteps pounded on the hardwood in the foyer; the door creaked open, and then shut with a resounding thud. She'd slammed it so hard, I was shocked it didn't fall off its hinges.

I leaned over the counter and exhaled loudly.

On one hand, I was relieved. I selfishly was glad that I wouldn't have to tiptoe around Rosalie and her undeniable hatred for me. Now, I wouldn't be afraid to sleep at night or wonder if she was plotting some sort of elaborate plan to hurt the baby or me. But it came with a price. I was the reason their family—the family that had worked for so long now—was torn apart. They'd lost one of their family members because of me. Emmett was here without his mate. Guilt was thick and strong, and I wondered if all of this was worth it, if I shouldn't just pack up and move to the reservation with Edward. Live there, instead.

"I'm so sorry," I finally whispered, knowing that each of them could hear me through their murmured discussion clearly.

"Bella, you have nothing to be sorry for," Emmett responded, breaking away from their little huddle.

My mouth popped open. "But you-"

"She'll get over it. She'll see things for how they really are and come back. We just have to give her time." He smiled sadly at me. "I'll miss her while she's gone, but she has to know that she was wrong."

I nodded once. It was all I could do. In the span of just a few minutes, I'd managed to destroy their family, yet they were all so calm about it, like it was nothing new.

I chopped mushrooms, onions, and green peppers, and then whisked together a few eggs for an omelet. The baby started doing somersaults as soon as the scent of the eggs cooking hit my nose, and I giggled with the sensation, thankful to have some kind of reprieve from all of this.

"Has she done this before?" I asked Edward, sprinkling the cheese and spinach into the pan before carefully folding the egg over on itself. I beamed with pride as soon as I saw that it was flawless. Being an agile wolf most definitely had its advantages. I'd have most likely been scraping up splattered egg off the floor if I'd tried it before.

"Not for this exact circumstance," he hedged, grinning back at me.

"But?" I prompted.

"Rosalie has always been volatile and a little rash. Carlisle and Esme had a hell of a time trying to rein her in as a newborn."

"Uh-huh."

"It'll all work out," he said comfortingly as he moved closer to me. "It always does."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Years of living with her."

"She'll come back? Like Emmett said?"

He didn't answer, just wrapped his arm around my waist and watched me plate the omelet. "So there is some good news in the middle of all this mess."

"What's that?"

He dipped his head down so that his mouth was next to my ear. "I can hear the baby's heart beating," he said lowly. "I've been listening to it since you started cooking. It's like… a hummingbird's wings."

I craned my neck to see him. "Seriously?"

He grinned in confirmation. "It's…" he searched for the words, "one of the best sounds I've ever heard, second only to your heartbeat."

"Aren't you sweet?" I tipped my head up and kissed him.

"I have my days. Now eat. We've had a long morning, and an even longer day ahead of us."

My shoulders slumped. "Charlie?"

He nodded in affirmation. "Charlie."

* * *

"You can't tell, right?" I asked, fidgeting with a button up shirt of Esme's that Alice had found. It was longer than anything I owned and just a little bit looser. I had a pair of my own jeans on, left unbuttoned at the waist, and I was hoping that no one noticed anything until we had a chance to explain it all. Everything we knew, anyway.

"I don't see a thing," Alice replied.

"I know I'm going to be huge tomorrow. I can feel it. I'm going to look like a giant marshmallow when I walk down the aisle."

"No, you won't," Alice laughed. "Besides, your dress has an empire waist. I'll just make the necessary adjustments to it tonight and no one will ever know."

I bit down on my lip and studied myself in the mirror.

"I promise," Alice said, reading my expression perfectly. "And I promise to have a few things here for you to wear until the baby's born."

"Why? I won't be able to go anywhere. I can just wear sweats." She looked confused, so I elaborated. "Alice. Yesterday, I didn't look pregnant. Today, I can't button my jeans. What will everyone think when I show up somewhere looking like I'm about to pop when just last week, I looked normal?"

She pouted. "Oh. Damn."

I laughed at her reaction. "So don't waste your time."

Satisfied that the baby was just about as camouflaged as he was going to get, I went searching through the house for Edward and found him talking with Emmett.

They both glanced over at me and smiled.

"Hi," I said uncomfortably. I had a distinct feeling that they were discussing Rosalie and me. "I'm ready. If you guys want to keep talking, I can go wait in the living room."

"That's okay." Emmett leapt over to me and ruffled my hair. "I'm gonna go upstairs. See ya later, pup."

I gave Emmett a weak smile, and then turned back to Edward.

"So..." I trailed off since I didn't know what to say.

Edward laughed. "He was just letting me know that Rosalie's in Seattle. She's heading to Denali for a while."

"Oh."

"Ready?"

"Do we have to go?" I practically whined. I was perfectly fine with putting all of this off until after the wedding. At least then I knew that nothing would spoil it.

"Yes, we do. Frankly, I'd like to get it all over with so I can spend some time with you before I have to leave you there."

Well, now I was completely crestfallen. "Do we _have_ to spend the night away from each other before we get married? I mean, come on, we can't jinx it or anything. We are imprinted…"

"I've disregarded everything I was taught as a human so far. I'd like to do one traditional thing, love."

"Fine, you stupid, old-fashioned vampire."

He grinned crookedly and pointed to my stomach. "I'd say I'm anything but old-fashioned these days."

"If he could, Charlie would kill you for that, you know."

"I have no doubt about it," he replied wryly. "I won't be far away, though. There's no way I could just leave you with Victoria still running loose."

"Then why can't we just come home? Together?"

"Because, technically, we're not supposed to see each other," he responded. "But that doesn't mean I can't listen to you snore."

I scowled. I wanted to spend some time with Jacob, but this imprint made it so hard to want to do anything other than spend time with Edward. "I don't snore," I muttered aloud.

He laughed. "You have been lately."

I started toward the door, fully expecting Edward to follow, only to stop when he didn't move.

"You're literally throwing me to the wolves?"

"No, baby, nothing like that. Carlisle wants to talk to us before we go. He got some interesting results with your DNA tests." He huffed. "And now he's blocked me out so I can't hear what they are."

I sighed. "Okay, I guess we should go see how much more of a freak I am before we go, huh?"

"Would you stop saying that?" he asked irritably. "You're not a freak."

I wanted to argue, but the look on his face kept me from making a sound other than the word, "Okay."

We went up to Carlisle's study and found him waiting for us with an eager smile. "I know you need to leave, so I won't take up too much of your time. I rushed the tests on the blood you gave me yesterday."

"Oh, great. Let's hear what you found out," I said, fighting sarcasm.

Carlisle never noticed. "It appears that you, along with the other shifters, have twenty-four pairs of chromosomes. I'm not sure how much biology you know, Bella, but a human typically has twenty-three."

"Uh-huh," I said slowly. "How many do vampires have?"

"Twenty-five," he replied.

"So we're a whole new species, genetically speaking. It's not really 'magic' like the lore says," I deduced.

"Exactly."

"Then how…?" Edward trailed off, but Carlisle already knew what he was referring to.

"I'm not sure. It would appear you're more genetically compatible than it would seem, evidenced by the fact that the two of you were able to conceive."

"So the baby's nature's way of telling us we match?" Like we didn't know already?

He smiled. "I suppose you could say that. But most hybrids happen accidentally since it's always been assumed that different species cannot reproduce together, with the exception of just a few successful crossbreeds."

"Like a liger," Edward continued. "Lions and tigers are two different species, but they're both of the same genus."

And just like that, I was left in the dust while Carlisle and Edward's ridiculously fast minds thought through all the implications and scenarios. Edward would hear something in Carlisle's thoughts, make a comment, and then get the answer through Carlisle's mind as well. I probably could have left the room, and neither of them would have noticed, they were so wrapped up in their little one-sided conversation.

"Vampires and the Quileute wolves have common markers in our DNA. It was obviously enough for Bella's egg to recognize your sperm," Carlisle eventually stated. "If you use everything we know from previous, successful hybrids, I think it's safe to say that vampires and the wolves could be considered members of the same genus, albeit super-"

I whistled, cutting him off. "Guys, as fascinating as all this is, you lost me when Edward started talking back to your thoughts. Is that all you found?"

Carlisle shook his head. "No, your chromosomal count is not the most interesting part. If my theory is correct, your DNA was altered during your first phase. And it has nothing to do with the typical wolf change each member of the pack goes through."

"Altered?" I asked, ignoring Edward's gasp of surprise.

"Yes," Carlisle answered. "When James bit you, even though Edward was able to extract enough venom to keep you from changing, he didn't remove all traces of it. He also left a trace of his own venom, through the wound. When you phased, it activated the venom, if you will. My guess is that the traces of venom in your system had some impact on you when you were human, hence your atypical first phase. I didn't have time to do an extensive study, but just from what I saw in the common markers your DNA has with ours, you should exhibit vampiric traits because of this."

"So I'm part vampire?" I asked, completely bewildered.

"No. You're a wolf in every sense there is. There was just enough venom in your body at the time of your first phase to do something a little… extra."

It was like it all suddenly clicked into place. "My skin. It's why I haven't gotten a cut or bruise since I first phased."

"I thought it was because Bella was the product of an imprint," Edward interjected. "But given that it would take extreme," he cleared his throat, "pressure for my teeth to cut through her skin, this makes more sense."

My eyes widened. If Edward could blush…

"I'm with you, Edward. I don't think it's because of Billy and Renee's imprint at all. In fact, we saw it yesterday when I tried to take your blood." Carlisle's eyes gleamed zealously, and I had to bite back a giggle at how entertaining I was to him. "None of the other wolves' skin is this durable, correct?" Carlisle questioned me.

I shook my head. "When we're in human form, we're at our most vulnerable. We heal quickly, yes, but that doesn't mean that we can't get hurt at all. Um, the best example I can think of is when Sam cut himself with a knife while helping Emily prepare dinner. It wasn't hard for him to break through the skin, but it was healed before he could even rinse it off."

"I see," Carlisle said thoughtfully.

"Is this part of the reason why I got pregnant in the first place?" I asked, thinking that it could have affected me more on a cellular level than Carlisle realized.

He and Edward both looked doubtful. "I'm not sure. I would need to do more tests on you and the other Quiluetes. Compare them to each other, and then to say… my DNA to know for sure. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I think your unique first phase is particularly of note. Rather than going through a somewhat extended process, as it was for the other wolves, your body was able to spontaneously transform when you were threatened by Laurent. It could take a while, long after the baby's born, to come up with any kind of solid conclusion."

I nodded, more than ready to leave for the reservation. I'd had enough of biology for now. Anything—telling Charlie about the baby included—was better than standing there awkwardly while Edward and Carlisle discussed all of my physical traits.

I gave Edward a pointed look. "Well, we can spend all of eternity trying to figure it out."

He took the hint. "We can."

As soon as we got to the Volvo, Edward grabbed my hand and spun me around. He cupped my face and without warning, took my lips with his. I couldn't breathe with the way he was kissing me and soon, I found myself pulling away as I gasped for air.

"What was that for?" I asked dazedly.

"You're amazing," he murmured.

I went to answer him, but the sunlight that danced across his face stunned me silent.

He grinned at my dazzled reaction and opened the door for me. "Get in. You wanted to leave the biology session and tell Charlie…"

I shook my head and grumbled at how the way the sun shone on his skin could still stupefy me after all this time. I glanced down at my arm just as the clouds moved to cover the sun again and frowned.

"I'm kind of jealous. You'd think I'd have some reaction to the sun."

"It's better that way," he argued. "Nothing can keep you indoors, like it does us."

"Maybe the baby will sparkle like you do."

"I fervently hope not," he returned in a snarl, surprising me. "Having to stay inside and constantly come up with a new, yet mundane reason for why you can't join a class trip or picnic is incredibly tiring, Bella. If he can have one more thing that's the so-called norm, it's better. From what we know, he's the only one of his kind. You constantly refer to yourself as a freak since you're not only the only female wolf, but you're the only Quileute born from an imprint. And on top of that, your DNA is mixed with vampire DNA. He'll have all of that, Bella. Maybe more. How will that affect him?"

"Hey." I leaned forward so that I was in his face and he had no choice but to look at me. "I get it, I do. You worry. It's how you're wired. But I just know it'll be okay."

"How?"

"Because he shouldn't even exist in the first place. He has to be here for a reason, even if it's only so we can have him in our lives."

A smile flitted across his face. "You're right. I'm being ridiculous. Blame it on typical, first time parent fears?"

"I'm not sure those are quite 'typical, first time parent fears', but I see your point." I giggled and spread my hands as I shrugged. "And I'm just as clueless as you are."

* * *

**Edward**

It'd been a while since I'd driven the road to La Push. Bella and I typically ran through the woods these days and before, I wasn't able to come past the treaty line. With the old habit, my hands itched to turn the car around when I came to where our land ended and theirs began. I had to remind myself that, because of Bella, there was no more "theirs", no more "ours". The coalescence was evident everywhere now, and I just hoped that the baby helped to solidify the transition, rather than destroying everything we'd been working to achieve.

I had no idea how the tribe would react to this, especially since Carlisle and I had been adamant that this exact situation was impossible… But how could we have known? For all intents and purposes, our kind was dead. Our bodies ceased to function like a human; we no longer breathed or ate actual food, and our heart lay still in our chests. Being able to create life with Bella was still mindboggling to me.

The drive only took about ten minutes, but Bella had managed to fall asleep before we'd gotten halfway here. I hesitated to wake her; with the rate that the baby was growing, she needed all the rest she could get, but regardless of being under the watchful eye of the tribe now and the fact that we knew nearly ever facet of Victoria's plan, I couldn't let her out of my sight—not until I absolutely had to. Alice could see nothing concrete about the future. For all we knew, Victoria had changed that plan when she realized Riley had been caught.

I couldn't risk it.

"Hey," I whispered, gently shaking her. "We're here."

She groaned and shook her head against the seat vehemently, making me laugh. "No, we can't be. I just fell asleep."

"I know. I'm sorry." I glanced up as I heard the low rumble of a diesel engine coming down the road. "The decorations have arrived," I murmured.

That perked her up. "Really?" She sat up and looked over to where the Clearwater's empty yard still sat. "Um, no they didn't."

"Give them… two minutes," I replied with a smile.

"Hmm," she grinned and looked at the clock, "okay."

I sat back as we waited for the trucks and listened to everything around me. Sue was inside the house, talking to her daughter, Leah, and I could hear the boy… Seth… out back tinkering with an old scooter Harry had gotten him before he died. It was happy, with the exception of Leah. Bitterness, resentment, and anger tinged every one of her thoughts, and I immediately thought to warn Jasper of it so that he wasn't blindsided by the intensity of it all tomorrow afternoon.

"Charlie's not here," I said abruptly, startling Bella. "I just heard Seth thinking that he'd have liked to have gone with him to Billy's to hang with Jake."

Bella's eyes popped open. "What?" she shrieked. "He's at Jake's?" She flailed her arms around wildly. "Edward, go before he does something stupid."

"I don't…" I concentrated on Sue. "I don't think his intention was to start trouble, Bella. I think… he wanted to try to smooth things over a little for tomorrow. For you."

She stopped freaking out long enough for that to process. "What?"

"He doesn't want to ruin your wedding," I replied, watching Sue's previous conversation with Charlie play through her head. "He wants it to be perfect."

Her breath hitched, and I anxiously waited for her to start crying. Surprisingly, she held it off, brushing only a single tear off her face.

"He's just been… so accepting of everything, and I keep throwing more at him," she whispered. "He's going to have a heart attack when we tell him about the baby. Especially when he sees how pregnant I am already. I know it."

I smoothed her hair out. My eyes flickered to the trucks approaching us. "No, he won't," I chuckled. "He'll probably just try to shoot me again. Repeatedly, since he knows he can empty the magazine without hurting me at all."

"Stop it; it's not funny."

One of the truck drivers got out of the cab and opened the back hatch. "Look over there," I said, pointing to where boxes of flowers were stacked inside the cargo area.

She gasped. "Edward, they're beautiful."

"Want to take a look?"

She arched her brow. "Won't Alice kill us?"

I grinned wickedly. "You know that old saying, 'what she doesn't know won't hurt her'…"

She laughed once and opened her door. I did the same at an excruciatingly slow, human pace and met up with Bella a few steps away.

"Slow down, love. You're supposed to be taking it easy," I reminded her.

"I can't help it, Edward. I want to see," she said excitedly.

I took her hand and kissed her palm to keep myself from laughing at her exuberance. "I thought you weren't interested in this kind of thing."

"Just because I don't care anything about what kind of flowers she used or how the tables are going to be set up doesn't mean I'm not interested in it. It's our wedding. Of course I want to sneak a peek."

I started to respond, but I caught a whiff of the freesia scent that lingered in the air. It paled in comparison to the scent of Bella's blood, but it was still mouthwatering, except now, I burned in a completely different way. My only saving grace was all the years of restraining myself against certain aspects of my nature.

"It smells like you," I told Bella as we approached the truck, in what was, hopefully, a way to distract myself. I took one of the purple freesia stems out of the box and gave it to Bella.

"Alice said you'd like it," she responded, breathing in the scent of the flowers.

I nodded. "I'll have to thank her."

"Mmm, don't be too quick to do that." She gingerly laid the flower back in the box. "She chose them for her own selfish reasons."

"Because she could get them in both purple and white," I concluded.

"Yep. They match and we like them. She can't lose." She spotted the boxes of calla lilies and grinned widely. "Ooh, look at these!"

We spent a few minutes looking through the boxes while a few of the men started getting out the equipment to set up the white tent in the backyard. The wedding would be small, nothing more than our family, the pack, and a few important members of the tribe; it was exactly the way Bella and I wanted it. Anything more just wouldn't feel right.

"It's too bad this isn't going to be at our house… or Charlie's," Bella sighed.

I put an arm around her. "It's better this way. Safer."

"I know," she replied, "it's just that… I don't really know these people. I mean, I know of them from all the times Charlie went fishing with Harry, but I never really talked to them. I feel like maybe we're imposing?"

"No, not at all." I tapped my forehead. "Trust me. You're another member of the tribe, Bella. You couldn't impose on Sue, even if she wasn't dating Charlie."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

She exhaled sharply. "Okay."

We got back into the car and drove the two necessary minutes down the road to the Black's, where Charlie's cruiser was parked out front.

Bella cocked her head to the side as soon as she got out of the car. "Well… I don't hear any fighting…"

"It's fine," I laughed, falling into step beside her.

"I'll believe it when I see it," she said as she knocked on the door.

Jacob opened the door and gave Bella a huge smile. "You're early!" He jerked her into a hug, causing her to wheeze uncomfortably.

"Jake, I can't breathe."

"Sorry. I just… things have been so boring without you here."

She balked, "How can they be boring? Every time we turn around, Victoria or one of her minions is around. There's plenty for you to do_ because_ of me. I don't need to be present for all of it."

"Yeah, but what do I do until then?" he countered, arching his brow. "Sit here with Billy all day?"

She shifted her weight, trying to see past Jacob into the house. "Speaking of which, I hear my dad's here with your dad. No one's been shot yet?"

"No, not yet. It's awkward as hell, but they're trying. Charlie came by claiming that he was going to be the better person in this situation. For you."

She shook her head and stepped inside. "He's going to hate me in a minute…"

"How come?"

"Nothing," she said quickly.

He immediately knew she was lying. "Bella."

She tried to brush him off, "You'll find out soon enough."

"What-?"

"Just give her a few minutes," I told him. "It's pretty big. We've barely had time to get used to it ourselves."

He nodded warily, a thousand reasons flickering through his mind.

"Nothing you're thinking comes remotely close."

His brows shot up.

"And it's not bad," I answered.

"Stop reading my mind," he snapped.

"You're loud. I can't help it."

We followed Bella into the living room to see Charlie sitting on the couch with a can of Vitamin R in his hand and a baseball game on TV. Billy had his wheelchair parked at the doorway to the kitchen. The tension in the air was thick. Billy was thinking of anything he could say to break the ice, only nothing was suitable. Nothing he could say could mend the friendship.

Charlie did a double take when he noticed Bella walking into the room, and then smiled warmly.

"Hey, Bells. I didn't expect to see you till tomorrow." His eyes flashed over to where Billy sat, and his thoughts went a little smug. Bella was still his little girl, biologically or not.

Bella shifted on her feet uncomfortably. "Yeah. I know. I um, there's a few things we wanted to talk to you about before the wedding." She chewed on her lip and stared over at Billy. "You being here at Jake's actually saves me from saying it twice."

Charlie went rigid in his seat; the can of beer stopped just short of his lips. "What now?"

"Uh…" Bella scrubbed her face with hands. "Who's winning?"

"You want to know the score?" Charlie asked her slowly. "Of a baseball game?"

"Yes?"

"Oh, boy," he whispered to himself. He sat his beer on the table roughly. "Will this talk be the one that finally causes my heart to stop? Should I throw a few things at Edward now? Not that it would do any good…"

She laughed once as she sat down. I sat beside her and ran my hand over her leg encouragingly. She needed to be the one to tell him. I'd initiated the conversation about Billy's imprint and what it meant for their relationship, but this… this was something he needed to hear from her. Not me.

She stared up at the ceiling just long enough to gather her nerve. And then all at once, she closed her eyes and jumped.

"I'm… pregnant," she squeaked, shocking them all.

"You're what?" Jacob shouted. "How is that possible?"

She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as ours. Apparently, male vampires can have babies."

"And so can you!" he returned.

"Yeah." She and I focused on Charlie, who was strangely quiet. Only the galloping sound of his heart gave anything away. "Dad?"

"I'm too young to be a grandpa," he said simply.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"When?" He quickly did the math in his head. "Next spring?"

"Damn, he's good with weird," Jacob whispered under his breath.

"I know."

Bella swallowed hard. "Sooner."

Billy spoke up, "How soon? Edward?"

I dragged my hand through my hair uncomfortably. "At the rate of growth? Before the month's over, I'd say."

"Before the _what_?" Charlie's thoughts swam, trying to figure out how Bella could have a baby before the month was over when she didn't look any different at all.

"That's not entirely true," I answered reluctantly.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What exactly do you mean, 'not entirely true'?"

"Dad, stay calm," Bella stood, "please. It's good. We're happy. It's just… kind of fast."

"No kidding. You two just graduated. Well, you did, anyway," he corrected himself. "You aren't even married yet."

"Carlisle did another exam this morning and estimates that she's about halfway through, even though we just found out yesterday," I informed him. "Show them, love. They need to see for themselves."

She nodded and lifted up her shirt, letting everyone see the slight swell of her stomach. It actually appeared minutely bigger than it had this morning, something that was fascinating and worrying all at once.

They were all stunned.

"Halfway…" Charlie breathed.

"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah." He shot up off the couch, placed a kiss on Bella's forehead, and then started toward the door. "I've got to go get some air. I feel like I might pass out. This one's… This one's pretty hard to get my head around. I'll just be outside."

Bella's chin trembled as she spun around to watch him leave. "But-"

I went to her side and wrapped my arms around her before she could finish her sentence. "Give him a little bit, Bella. It's…" I lacked the word.

"Freaky," Jacob interjected, grinning teasingly.

I shot him a look. "Not helping," I bit out.

He raised his hands in surrender and laughed.

Billy finally spoke. "What is it?"

Bella tensed in my arms. She whipped her head around and stared at him defiantly. "What is it? It's a baby, Billy. My baby."

He glanced over at me, not knowing how to answer her. Whether or not it was a baby was never the question. He wanted to know what to tell the council members. Did they have another kind of vampire on their hands or a wolf?

"We're not sure," I told him, listening to what he was thinking. "His heart beats like Bella's, but we can't get an image of him. His membrane is too strong for a needle to puncture through, so we can't get any amniotic fluid to test…"

"So the baby's like you, then."

"He's a little of both. A hybrid. That's the best term I have for him."

"A hybrid," he repeated. "You know what this means, don't you?" he asked rhetorically. "The stories we've believed all this time to be fact… aren't."

"There's some truth to them," I argued.

"You and Bella… you're disproving almost everything we know. How much of what we've been taught all of these years is right, Edward, and how much of it was written from fear?"

For that, I didn't have an answer.

* * *

I ran my hand through my hair for the twenty-seventh time since I'd taken my place beneath the canopy of wisteria Alice had set up for us to stand under. A perfect view of the ocean was behind us; the setting sun was hidden beneath thick, pale gray clouds, keeping our world separate from the few humans in attendance. Garlands of gardenia, freesia, orange blossoms, and roses hung from the tent's poles, and candles lit up the slowly darkening sky. So long as the weather held out, it was exactly what we'd hoped for.

"You nervous?" Emmett snickered.

I let my eyes move from the woods, where a couple of pack members were standing guard, to where Emmett sat next to Carlisle and Esme, rolling them just enough so that only he could see the movement.

"No," I said firmly.

It wasn't nerves, exactly; more like anxiousness or an intense anticipation for the moment when Bella would walk down the aisle and I'd marry the one person who'd been put on this earth for me, for the moment I could finally say the words that sealed our bond.

"You seem nervous. You can run still, you know. There's no way Bella could catch up with you. Even if she did phase."

I shifted a little so that I could glare over at him. "Shut up," I whispered through my teeth.

"Fine, fine. But if you remember, I didn't act like that when I married Rosalie… any of the times," he said smugly.

There was an undercurrent of something else in his thoughts. He was trying so hard to hide it…

"You miss her," I stated as I watched Jacob roll Billy down the aisle and to his place on the opposite side of my parents.

"Well, yeah," he answered, like it was obvious. "But it would be a disaster for her to be here. Better to let her stay in Alaska rather than to ruin your wedding."

"You think she would?"

He shrugged minutely and bounced his foot so that he didn't appear too still. "She wouldn't do anything to expose us, but she'd make Bella's day hell just by being herself. You're only getting married for the first time once. No point risking it, man."

I chuckled at how odd that sounded. Yet it was very true. All of my family members had been married to their mates countless times over the years. Bella and I would likely follow their lead as the years went by to keep up with the charade.

"Thank you for being here." He could have left with Rosalie but instead, he chose to stay here and help guard Bella. He chose duty to his family over his mate. Had it been me, I might not have made the same choice, or been able to take it in stride as he had. He had this uncanny ability to let everything roll right off his shoulders.

He made an annoyed face. "Stop being such a sap."

Mr. Weber glanced down at his watch. "Not too much longer," he murmured.

I nodded and exhaled shakily, well aware of how much time was left. Jasper kept fidgeting next to me, clearly uncomfortable from my anxiousness. I felt bad, but I had specifically told him not to manipulate my emotions. I wanted to remember everything of this day, including this impatience running through me. I wanted to remember the exaltation I'd feel when we were pronounced husband and wife and the way she looked in her wedding dress, when I'd finally know what I'd be peeling her out of later…

Jasper cleared his throat and gave me a pointed look.

"Sorry," I mumbled with a smirk.

His lips twitched. "You're not, but it's accepted anyway."

Jacob reached down to fix Billy's tie, and my hand automatically shot up to feel my own, checking to make sure it wasn't crooked. I pulled on the jacket of my black tux and ran my hands through my hair again, sending it everywhere. Esme pouted, and then came over to where I was standing.

"Keep your hands out of your hair," she scolded as she stood on her toes to fix it. "It was fine and now it's like you've put your finger in an outlet and actually had a reaction."

"I'll just mess it up again," I sighed.

"Then… think of something else," she hissed.

I grinned. "Yes, Mom."

She smiled back and patted my cheek before retreating back to her seat.

Typically, time was meaningless to my kind. However, today, it seemed to just halt. I stared at the house and tried to listen in to what was going on inside—without actually seeing it through the minds of the girls helping Bella get dressed—but there was so much random chatter from the guests that it made it almost impossible to concentrate. I was left to just stand there and wait, like every other average, human man that had ever been in this position.

The music changed, and I recognized the first note of Wagner's march as Bella's cue. All at once the crowd stood; I zeroed in on the space where the top of Charlie's dark head was bobbing above the guests as he walked Bella toward the aisle. They turned the corner, and then there she was. It was all I could do not to rush over there and pull her against me as fast as I could, regardless of the humans watching.

She was breathtaking, without a doubt the most gorgeous creature I'd ever seen. The lacy fabric of her dress was loose enough to hide the baby, and her hair was pulled away from her face in an intricate pattern of curls and braids. Her smile was brilliant… blinding, dazzling me silent just as she'd always claimed I'd done to her. Her dark brown eyes were full of emotion, and I had no words to describe how it made me feel right now. Nothing I'd learned in all my years could possibly come close to defining my love for her.

Charlie couldn't get her to me fast enough. Each step she took was too slow, even for her. I could see her eagerness in her movements, how only Charlie was holding her back from rushing down the aisle and into my arms, and I chuckled under my breath when she huffed in annoyance. She was just as ready to be mine as I was ready to be hers.

When they reached me, I put my hand out and waited for the moment that Bella's hand slid into it. Just that one touch caused her warmth to radiate through me and made me feel alive again. I'd spent the entire night watching her from a distance. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the feel of her soft skin until now. Without it everything seemed wrong and upended. She made it all right again.

Our vows were traditional and short. Bella fumbled her way through them, sniffling and blinking away the tears that filled her eyes when she finally said those two words that cemented us together.

"I do," she whispered, grinning up at me. It was triumphant and joyous, full of the same awe that I felt.

And when it was my turn to repeat the words, I managed to say them loud and clear, even through the immense love that swelled inside me when a fat tear finally streaked down her cheek. I reached up to brush it away, listening to Mr. Weber pronounce us as husband and wife and trying my best to memorize every part of this moment. I wanted to hold on to it forever.

I cradled her face in my hands and brought her mouth to mine. She threw her arms around my neck—bouquet in hand—and drew me closer as our kiss went from tender to something more… something I had to rein in before it became inappropriate for the guests watching us.

I dropped my hands to her waist as I broke away from her, fully prepared to turn her to face the crowd, and then the unexpected happened. The light jab of the baby kicking me through Bella's skin froze me in place. My eyes widened briefly in shock, before a surprised laugh burst out of my chest.

"He kicked me," I marveled. "Hard."

"He's been like this all day. Maybe my excitement affects him too?"

I listened to the fluttering sound of his heart. It was strong and steady, nothing out of the ordinary. "Probably," I agreed. "Ready to face the crowd?"

"We can't just sneak off and be by ourselves?" she asked wickedly.

"And ruin your dress? Alice would rip me apart." I turned us toward the aisle and took the first step toward the future.

She tightened her hold on my hand as we rushed past our clapping guests and spun around to face me as soon as we were out of sight.

"You owe me then, Mr. Cullen."

"I think I can make it up to you, Mrs. Cullen," I answered just before I brought her mouth to mine again. "Don't you worry."

* * *

**I doubt Stratan and I will have a chance to update before Christmas, so if you celebrate it or any other upcoming holiday, have a good one!**

**I'll be featured on Twilighted's Smut Mondays this Monday with a oneshot version of an upcoming fic of mine, Dear Maggie. Go check it out and give me some feedback :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**So apologies for the delay... between the holidays and the fact that I was blocked for over two weeks, this chapter was slow coming. I hope I'm past the writer's block, because having an entire chapter brainstormed with Stratan and sitting in my head, only to not be able to write any of it, is awful. **

**Speaking of the beta dude, thanks as always. I feel like a dork saying it every chapter since this fic has pretty much been all his idea from the beginning (I'm just the one executing it and adding my two cents as we go along), but I think I would feel even worse not saying it. Not to mention, he'd kick my ass. JS ;)**

**I'm getting ready to write an outtake in Rosalie's POV that will detail some of her time away for Fandom Against Domestic Violence. I thought given her human life it was fitting, and luckily, Stratan liked my idea for it. If you're interested in getting it before I can post it on FFn, here's the link to donate and get the compilation:**

**http:/ fandomagainstdomesticviolence(dot) blogspot (dot) com**

**Also, thewaywardgirl made a blinkie for this fic, and it's great! Check it out on her blog: http:/waywardgirl-ff (dot) blogspot(dot) com/**

* * *

Chapter 10

**Bella**

"I don't think I've told you yet, Bells," Charlie started, clearing his throat nervously, "but you look wonderful."

I felt the color rise to my cheeks and glanced away. "Thanks, Dad."

He slowly spun me around on the dance floor in a small circle, trying his best to fulfill his father-daughter dance duty. It was anything but the graceful dancing Edward and Esme were doing around us.

"They're not really fooling anyone, you know," he whispered gruffly as he nearly stepped on my toe. I managed to jerk it back just in time to avoid pretending like I'd need to limp away after he did. "Dancing like that? Dead giveaway."

I giggled. "Only because you know what to look for."

He smiled back awkwardly. "You're happy, aren't you, with this life you've found yourself in?"

"Very," I affirmed.

"Okay."

"Are _you _okay?" The baby started to kick, so I backed a little further away from Charlie. I knew he wasn't completely adjusted to the fact that Edward and I would have a baby that was likely to be born in the next couple of weeks. Even_ I_ wasn't completely adjusted to it. There was so much to do beforehand… Two weeks gave us almost no time to prepare, which made me suddenly and _extremely_ grateful for Alice's immense shopping knowledge.

"Yeah," he said reluctantly as he stared down at me uncomfortably. His eyes darted down toward my midsection then moved right back up to my face. I waited for him to say something, but like he had done since I'd told him I was pregnant, he avoided the subject.

I'd always thought his eyes were identical to mine, but now I could see the gold and cinnamon flecks they had in them. Mine were so dark, like pure chocolate, but not quite the onyx color of Jacob and Billy's. It was strange that I could only see the difference now that I knew of my heritage and not before. My vision had been clouded by a story of what my life should have been, but wasn't.

And I was finally okay with that. I still had Charlie, Renee, and my same friends. But now I had more. I had a husband, a brother, and would have a baby soon… things I never really pictured for myself. I had a new kind of family with the tribe and the pack. Once their initial shock over the baby had passed, they were all—with the exception of Paul—accepting of the situation. Edward and I were imprinted; there was no changing that. Now it was just a game of wait and see. Everyone was looking for information about the baby, of whether he'd be wolf, vampire, or as Edward had said, a hybrid. I was simply curious as to what gift he'd have, if any. His father was a fairly powerful mind reader. I had the ability to block my thoughts from the pack; something that I'd recently realized had nothing to do with being the product of an imprint or the daughter of the chief, and probably everything to do with the vampire venom that had lain dormant for so long.

Questions arose now that we knew about my genetic makeup. Billy had been on to something: how much of what the tribe had been taught about the Cold Ones was true and what was written out of fear? We'd always assumed that vampire venom was poisonous to our kind when, in fact, it was proving to do the complete opposite. I benefited from it when in human form, and this baby proved that we _were _more like vampires than they'd thought. We were compatible; not the enemies that we'd spent so many years believing.

It was terrifying and intriguing for them, all at once.

I pulled myself out of it so I could listen to him. "Sue's helped me deal with it all. Otherwise, I think I might have snapped when you told me that a va-" He glanced around as he broke off and smiled. "Well, anyway, it's fast. I always thought I'd have time to work through it. You'd finish college before you got engaged. Plan the wedding, have your honeymoon… then work on the family."

"I'm sorry," I said for what felt like the hundredth time in the span of only a few weeks. "I didn't ask for all of this, but I can't picture anything else. Any_one_ else."

"I wish I could say that I know what you mean, but I honestly don't think I do. I see it, but I can't imagine how it feels."

"It's…" My eyes found Edward's, and I immediately smiled. They were warm and buttery, full of adoration. It was all I could do not to disengage myself from Charlie and run over to him.

"It's better than anything I could've asked for," I finally said, tearing my gaze away from Edward's.

He looked over his shoulder and laughed once he saw Edward standing in the distance, seeing exactly what it was I was smiling at. "Good."

We didn't talk anymore as we continued to dance. It was just my dad and I; no one else existed, with the exception of Edward. I always knew where he was. I could feel him, even when he was out of sight. The imprint seemed to anchor me to him at all times, but I knew the urge to be with him was simpler than that tonight. It was nothing more than me wanting to share this event with my husband.

The dance ended and Edward suddenly appeared at our side. "I'll take her off your hands now, Charlie," he said, holding his hand out and fighting a smile at my questioning look. For someone so adamant about keeping "his kind" a secret, he'd gotten over here awfully quick…

I took his cool hand and stood on my toes to press a kiss to Charlie's scruffy cheek. "I love you," I whispered.

He blinked a few times as he tried to keep his composure. "I love you," he finally managed to say back.

"Well, that was fast," I said to Edward, arching my brow.

He grinned crookedly and enveloped me in his arms. He looked so… happy. It was a simple description of what we felt, but no less true. "No one saw."

I laughed as Edward spun me away from where my father was retreating back to the table where Sue and a few other members of the tribe sat. Leah glared over at me as soon as he sat down.

My mouth nearly dropped open at the hatred that blazed in her eyes.

"It's not directed at you," Edward said soothingly. His hand moved down my back slightly. "She's unhappy with everything."

"Oh." Nothing else needed to be said. Sam breaking up with Leah after he imprinted on Emily wasn't a secret in the pack. In fact, we all got the pleasure of feeling his guilt at some point. "Isn't there anything someone can do?"

"Short of making her forget about her father and Sam?" He shook his head. "Not at the moment, no."

"That's too bad," I replied sadly.

He nodded once, and then changed the subject. "How are you two doing?"

"We're okay. I'm beginning to get a little tired, though," I admitted.

"I'd imagine so." He held me closer to him and managed to keep our steps moving fluidly, regardless of our close proximity. His hand moved even further down my back, stopping just at the swell of my bottom. Every inch of his body was pressed against mine, causing desire to slowly unravel inside me. The affect he had on me was amazing. Everything could shift with just a look or touch.

I tipped my head up to see him and ran my fingers through his hair, just so I could feel the silken strands. His eyes snapped to mine, darkening as he licked his lips in anticipation. I desperately wanted him to kiss me, to take me under him and seal our bond even further, in the usual, human way.

He slowed his steps, and his lips inched toward mine. His cool breath ghosted across my face… And then all at once, he snapped out of it. "We should go," he said huskily.

I blinked and blew out a shaky breath. "Can we?"

"You've been fed, I've forced cake down my throat, we've shared our first dance… Yes, I think we can, love. If we don't, I…"

I swallowed hard. "Yeah. Yeah, definitely." The need for him drummed through me, and I realized that I could strip him down right here where we were dancing in front of all of our guests and wouldn't care who watched.

Talk about inappropriate.

We quickly made our way around the room and let everyone know that we were leaving. Getting to the house to spend some time alone was suddenly all I could think about, and Jacob wound up snapping his fingers in front of my face since I was doing such a poor job of paying attention to what he was saying to me.

"Bella!" he shouted, laughing loudly. "Hello, you in there?"

"I'm here." I pushed his hand away with a blush. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were going to be at the training session on Friday."

"Oh." I glanced over at Edward, who nodded, even though he was in the middle of a conversation with Carlisle. "Seems that way. I'll just be watching, though, since I can't phase and all."

"You can still learn some by watching," Jasper interjected. "I'll make sure of it."

"Yeah, and I'll sit on the sidelines and keep you company so Edward can get some practice in," Jacob continued. "We can all rotate until the baby comes and you're feeling better or something."

Words failed me. They'd all done so much in the last few days to keep the town protected at my expense. I wasn't sure how I'd ever repay them, Jasper, Jacob, and Sam, especially.

"Thanks," I finally managed. "You've had to stop everything because of me-"

True to form, Jacob rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Bella. We might all be tired, but it's worth it. This is the most excitement I've seen since you first phased. I mean, we can't really use our skills on your husband…"

I reached out to slap his arm. "You most certainly cannot."

He flinched slightly before he snickered. "Exactly. So we're learning what we're capable of and seeing what your vamps are capable of firsthand. It's a good thing, Bells. Don't act like you've put us all out."

"Jacob's right. It's been very…" Jasper smirked at Jacob, "educational."

I gave up on the conversation and nodded. My guilt wasn't going to go away, and they weren't going to change their minds. It was useless to keep talking about it.

The ride home was mercifully short, thanks to Edward's insane driving. I simply sat there with my hands clutching the seat as he wound down the road. I knew, realistically, he'd never do anything to hurt me. His reflexes were astoundingly sharp and quick. You'd think that since I had experience with it that it would quell my fear, but my heart still raced every time he rounded a curve sharply or got the Volvo going as fast as it could go. Maybe that part of my human life would always linger, another thing I was perfectly fine with. It made me feel less like the freak I'd proclaimed to be so many times before.

I was definitely going to keep that to myself, though. Edward hated it when I talked like that, and I was working hard not to. I might still be adjusting to everything, but I _was_ happy. There was no reason to point out what I was self-conscious about; I did enough of that to him when I was just a human.

I stepped out of the car and took in a deep breath, glancing over at Edward waiting for me at the door.

"It's so quiet," I said with a smile, realizing just how alone we were. "I've only heard it like this once before. There's always something going on since no one around here sleeps but me."

"You mean when we were gone?"

I nodded. It wasn't painful to talk about like it was before. Just like I'd told Jasper, I truly felt that we needed that time apart to come to terms with what we were to each other. If he'd have been here when I first phased, and then we imprinted, there was no guarantee that we'd be here—in a wedding dress and tuxedo—today. He could have still left, and I knew my heart wouldn't have been able to take like it had before. Every feeling and thought that revolved around Edward was so much more powerful now. Just the thought of never seeing Edward again… It made me infinitely more amazed of Billy and Renee's determination to live their lives apart.

He flashed a mischievous smile. "We're all alone until tomorrow morning."

"No kidding?" I asked in surprise. A few hours, sure. But the whole night?

"Everyone plans to give us as much privacy as possible. They'll go hunting up north after they've helped clean up at the Clearwater's. It'll be an all night trip."

I stood there and watched him lithely move closer to me, almost as if he was stalking me. My heart sprinted, and my breathing quickened with the sight.

He cocked his head to the side with the sound. "Anxious, are we?" he murmured, reaching out to stroke my cheek. A trail of icy heat was left in its wake, and I nearly moaned with the feel of that heat blooming throughout my entire body.

"Maybe," I answered unconvincingly as I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. His fingers skimmed along the line of my neck, pausing at the pulse point there, and then dipped below the flimsy strap of my gown. I shivered as they moved down toward my breasts, biting down on my lip and bringing myself even closer to him.

"We should go inside," he said roughly, slowly pulling his hand away.

I almost whimpered. "I'd rather not."

His brows shot up, and he abruptly scooped me up into his arms. "I'm not making love to you out here. Not for the first time as your husband."

I laughed and let my head fall to his shoulder as he darted through the door and up the steps to our bedroom, turning on the bedside lamp on his way by. "That's too bad," I joked.

He gently laid me down on the bed and hovered over me. "We have all night for that. So long as you're not too tired, that is. You're not tired, are you?"

He looked so worried, staring down at me, so I smiled reassuringly up at him. "I'm not too tired. I might collapse with exhaustion afterwards, but I'm fine right now."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," I breathed, grabbing the back of his neck and bringing his lips to mine.

I could feel his smile as my lips shaped themselves around his, soft against hard. I relished the way he tasted and the way his hands felt touching me as they snaked further and further down my leg until he had the hem of my dress up at my waist and had hitched my leg around his hip.

I groaned when his hips ground into mine and started grabbing at his clothes, suddenly needing to feel his smooth skin sliding with mine. He was everywhere, surrounding me, consuming me—so much that I wasn't even aware of the sound of the zipper of my dress echoing throughout the silent room until I felt the whisper of cool air against my skin as he slid the fabric down away from me.

His black eyes roamed my body in a heady mixture of greed and awe, stopping just at the swell of my stomach. He bent down and placed a reverent kiss there, one that nearly brought me to tears. My chest was heavy with emotion… so heavy I felt like I couldn't breathe with the extent of it. We were a _family_. It was like the weight of the word was finally registering.

I needed to lighten things up a bit before my hormones got the best of me.

"You're still dressed," I pouted, pulling his crisp, white button up shirt out from his pants.

He grinned. "That can easily be fixed, you know."

With a quick flurry of movement above me, Edward undressed himself. When he was completely naked, he grabbed the side of my panties and in one fluid motion, ripped them off of me, using his other hand to stroke me, moaning when he felt my body readying itself for him.

I squirmed beneath him while he touched me, trying so hard to keep focus and reciprocate, but his hands were so fast… so skilled, I barely had the cognizance to bring my hand down and wrap it around him.

And then unexpectedly, I fell apart at his hand, making that ridiculous sounding purr sound and incoherently calling his name as I came. When I resurfaced, I found him buried in between my breasts, kneading, licking…

"They're bigger," he stated against my skin. "So is he."

"Since the wedding?"

He nodded and moved up my body, wrapping my leg around his waist just before he sank into me.

"Oh, God," I whispered, clawing at his back. It did nothing to his impermeable skin, but I couldn't help myself. It just felt so good.

"You're beautiful," he ground out, doing his best to stay slow and keep control of his motions. He kissed me once before murmuring, "You're mine."

"Yours," I groaned into his mouth. I flexed my hips to meet his and dropped my hands to his waist, urging him to go faster.

"No." He grunted and clenched his jaw. "The baby… I can't…"

"He can handle it. He's like us."

He shook his head stubbornly, and then rolled us so that I was on top of him. I could feel my orgasm building, starting low in my stomach and shimmering outwards. I braced myself on his chest and moved on top of him; circling my hips as I came down and watching him get closer to his climax with every slight thrust of his hips. For the first time since we'd imprinted, there was nothing but us. There were no potential interruptions, no escapes into the woods for some time alone, or vampires trying to occupy themselves with mindless things so that they didn't hear us.

It was unbelievably freeing; it didn't take either of us long to come.

Nor were we quiet.

I snuggled up next to Edward and placed a kiss on his chest. I wanted to stay awake and shower—have a few more rounds of sex with my new husband—but I couldn't keep my eyes open, which made me want to cry. It was our wedding night. We were supposed to be stupid with exhaustion in the morning.

Well, I was, anyway.

Edward tightened his hold on me and chuckled. "Go to sleep."

"But it's our wedding night," I protested with a yawn.

"And you're exhausted. Sleep, baby. I can have my way with you whenever I want for… ever," he replied with a smirk. "You won't always be this tired."

"Sex in the garage…"

His laugh deepened. "The garage isn't going anywhere, either. I promise."

He pulled the blanket over me and reached out to turn off the lamp, lightly humming my lullaby as soon as the room went dark.

I was asleep before he could finish it.

* * *

**Edward**

"Are you busy?"

Bella popped a chip in her mouth. "Does it look like I'm busy?" she returned playfully.

"It looks like you're eating… again," I answered, sitting beside her.

"I'm always hungry." With the use of my hands to get some leverage, she shifted her body awkwardly on the couch so that her legs hung across my lap. "I can't help it. He's part wolf, remember?"

I placed my hand over the baby and nodded. If she wasn't sleeping, she was eating. It was an endless cycle, almost predictable even. We could _see_ when he was growing; once a day, usually at dinner, Bella would gorge on some absurdly large meal, and then fall into a deep sleep, not stirring for hours. Then, the cycle would start all over again. It helped Carlisle and I keep track of the baby's progress, and since we couldn't see a picture of him on Bella's daily ultrasounds, it helped to ease everyone's minds. As long as he was growing, he was thriving. It was all we could ask for at this point.

The baby moved, twisting and unfurling his limbs under my hand as he registered my voice. His growth seemed to have accelerated a little more than Carlisle predicted, but he was strong, strong enough to occasionally make Bella wince when he kicked, and incredibly smart. It wouldn't be long now… days, at the most, maybe. And then we'd be parents.

It was still unbelievable to me.

He wasn't silent to me like his mother was. Hearing his thoughts had only come about recently, and it had been the most unexpected and astonishing experience of all my years. There was no voice, no picture of what he was thinking of. Just an abrupt explosion of the bits and pieces of he'd heard from us, and love. Nothing but pure, immeasurable love for Bella and me that made Jasper gasp the first time he felt it, and the distinct sound of happiness coloring every one of his subsequent thoughts. He grew excited when Bella and I spoke to him. His mental capacity was enough that he knew that Bella and I were his parents, and also the relationship he had with each family member. He liked to listen to Jacob recount some of the tribe's many stories, he adored Alice and Esme already, and I knew that the second he was physically capable of it, he'd be laughing at whatever joke or goofy expression Emmett would be making.

He was already an integral part of our family, and he hadn't even been born yet.

"We need a name," I said abruptly, changing the subject. "We haven't come up with one yet." It felt wrong to keep referring to him as "the baby", especially since he understood us.

She munched on another chip as she thought about it. "Cal," she said definitively.

"Cal?"

"Um-hmm. Cal. Short for Caleb."

"What if it's a girl?"

"Then we're screwed," she laughed. "I can't think of anything for a girl. Can you?"

"No," I admitted.

"I don't think he's a girl, though." She patted her ever-expanding stomach and yawned. "He's our Cal. Aren't you, baby?" she cooed.

"Hmm." I liked it. A lot. I moved my hand so that it rested on top of hers and listened to the baby's thoughts. "Cal's good. He even likes it."

"Well, that was easy," she said, surprised.

"It was," I agreed. "I just hope you're right about him being a boy so that we're not scrambling for another name when he's born."

"I am," she said confidently. "You'll see. Is this what you wanted? To talk about the baby's name?"

I shook my head. "I need your help with an… experiment of sorts." It was a partial truth. Alice and I simply needed her out of the main house to show her the surprise we'd all spent the last few days working on for her. Bella was usually not a fan of surprises; however, I had a feeling that this specific baby gift would be well received.

Her brow furrowed. "An experiment?"

"It requires you to get up, though," I teased.

"I'll get up," she protested, yawning again. "Maybe."

I chuckled. "So I was thinking about your DNA…" I started, awaiting her reaction. She just stared wide-eyed up at me, so I continued. "And the reaction that you had to Riley's scent inside Charlie's house."

I could see the wheels turning. "You think they're connected?"

"Carlisle and I debated it, yes, and we've come up with a theory. Would you like to hear it?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah. Of course I do."

"We think my—well, Carlisle's—venom has something to do with that. You see, everyone in this house was changed by Carlisle, with the exception of Alice and Jasper. His mark was made on all of us when he changed us. And since a little of my venom was left behind, and I'm your mate-"

"None of you would have that same bleach-y smell to you that Riley had."

"Bleach-y?" I asked, taken a bit aback by her description. None of the other wolves had ever used that term to describe it. They simply recoiled with the burn our scent caused.

She shuddered at the memory. "That's the only way I can describe it. It was such a sickly sweet smell. It burned like bleach does when it's accidentally inhaled."

"Well, in any case, since Alice and Jasper weren't changed by Carlisle, we wanted to see if they smelled any different away from the house and the rest of the family." This theory had to be right. It was the only explanation for why we didn't smell revolting to Bella and vice versa.

"Okay. When?"

"Now, if you're up to it."

She swung her legs around and heaved herself off of the couch. "I'm up to it."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

I led her out to where Jasper and Alice were waiting for us. Alice took one look at Bella, waddling in her black sweatpants and oversized UDub shirt, and sighed.

"Bella, I really wish you'd have let me buy something for you to wear. You look… awful."

"Gee, thanks," Bella said sarcastically. "Just what every hugely pregnant girl wants to hear."

Alice scrunched up her nose. "That's not what I meant and you know it. You could be so cute right now, though." She reached out and tapped the peak of Bella's stomach, still a little unnerved by the fact that she could see nothing about the baby or his future.

Her eyes darted over to me, and she quickly started reciting the last song she'd heard on the radio in her mind so she didn't scare me. What she didn't know was that I understood her anxiousness, in more ways than she realized.

"Think of all the cute clothes you can buy the baby soon," Bella said with a grin. "And I know you will."

"Yes, I will," Alice answered shamelessly. "So do we smell any different to you?"

Bella stepped forward and breathed in the air around Alice first then repeated the process with Jasper. "Nope. You smell like you always do. It's nice, actually. Similar to Edward."

"She's too close to the house," I murmured, giving Jasper a pointed look.

Jasper nodded. "Ah. Okay, Bella. Alice and I are going to go out into the woods and wait. Edward will bring you to us and we'll try it again away from the house."

They were gone before Bella could respond.

"Wait, what did he mean by you bringing me to them?" she asked, looking up at me uncertainly.

"I'd planned to carry you."

"I'm perfectly capable of walking, thank you."

I gave her a once over, narrowing my eyes at her bulging stomach. "There's no way you're walking ten miles out into the woods like that. You could wind up going into labor." Or falling. Or any of the other horrifying scenarios flashing through my head.

"But-" She cut herself off when she saw how unwavering I was on this. "Ugh, fine. Carry me."

I picked her up so I was cradling her and waited until she was settled against me before I started away from the house.

As soon as Alice and Jasper were in our sight again, I put Bella down and let her walk the rest of the way, watching her maneuver her way through the fallen trees and underbrush of the forest worriedly. I knew that I was being a little irrational about it. Bella wasn't her clumsy, human self anymore. But at the moment, there were two people trapped in her one body that meant more to me than anything I could have ever known. Worrying over them seemed to just come naturally.

"What about now?" Jasper inquired, coming toward us.

Bella stopped and breathed in the air around them. Her eyes widened dramatically just before she shouted, "Oh, my God, you're right, baby. They do smell different!"

Her hand shot up to the point of her stomach where the baby kicked and rubbed the spot soothingly.

"You startled him," I laughed.

She grinned back. "I noticed."

"So how do we smell different?" Alice asked. "It must not be too bad; you're not acting like the other pack members do."

"It's not," she answered. "I… I'm not exactly sure how to explain it. You still smell like everyone else in the house, but out here, I can tell that you don't share the same venom they do, I guess. I think if you stayed away from everyone for a while, you'd be like every other vampire to me. You'd stink."

"Good to know we can't take a vacation without affecting your olfactory senses, Bella," Jasper said with a wry grin.

"Um, sorry?" she giggled. "Is that what you want from me?"

"Well, it helps," he joked back.

Alice and I smiled at their banter. It seemed like every day, Bella and Jasper's relationship grew closer.

"Okay, if we're done, you can take me back to the house. I think Cal and I need a nap," Bella suddenly said.

Her brown eyes stared up at me beseechingly, and I reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "What if you took a nap somewhere else?" I murmured cryptically.

"What?" Bella asked, looking completely bewildered. "Where else would I take a nap at? On the reservation? Is Victoria coming or something?" she nearly screeched.

This was not going as planned. "No, love. Nothing like that."

"Then what?"

"_Oh, for God's sake, Edward_," Alice thought in annoyance. _"Just lead her out into the clearing before she has that baby out here in the woods."_

I shot her a look but verbally ignored her. "We have a surprise for you… for the baby," I said to Bella. "In that clearing over there."

"There's a clearing?" she returned, turning to face the direction that I was pointing in.

"There is. It's in walking distance," I told her, grinning crookedly. "I won't have to carry you to it."

"A surprise? Really?" She narrowed her eyes and huffed irritably, but I knew her interest was more than piqued. "I hate you all."

I chuckled and followed her as she made her way to the clearing. The moment she stepped out of the woods and saw the small, stone cabin standing alone, she gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth.

Her eyes were wide with disbelief and shining with tears as they darted around, taking in everything from the honeysuckle climbing the wall and the roses in the garden to the stones that led up to the arched, wooden door. Tears that I hoped were of happiness… but she was so still and shocked, I couldn't tell.

"Baby?" I chanced. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm…" She swallowed thickly and swiped at the tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm wondering how you guys managed to do this in just a few days. I mean, I know you're fast and all, but how did you get everything here to build it in such a short amount of time?"

"It's always been here. Esme just needed an excuse to remodel. This was it. I suppose I could go into the mechanics of it, but I'd much rather show you inside. I can explain everything later."

She glanced behind us and frowned when she saw that Alice and Jasper had retreated back to the house. "Where did they go? You said everyone was involved."

"They thought that maybe you'd take the surprise a little better if it were just the two of us. No pressure. Everyone will talk to you tomorrow, if you want."

She laughed once and shook her head. "I'm that bad?"

"At times. This surprise isn't bad, though. You don't seem to mind it."

"How can I? You gave me a house!"

I made her face at her description. "It's not a house. A house requires more square footage. It's a cottage, at best."

She pointed her finger up at me warningly. "Don't knock my house."

My eyebrows shot up. "You like it."

She shook her head vehemently. "I love it."

I pulled her against me and tipped her head up so that I could kiss her. "Maybe you should see the inside before you say that."

She smiled warmly and opened her eyes as she stepped away. "Give me a tour?"

I handed her the iron key and watched her fingers close around it. "Open the door for us," I countered.

She hurried through the thick grass as best as she could and stopped just short of the door. She twisted around to see me and grinned giddily.

"Here goes." She slid the key into place and turned it just enough to hear the faint sound of the lock clicking as it unlatched.

She pushed the door open and started to walk inside, but I quickly yanked her up in my arms so fast, she squealed, "What are you doing?"

"Threshold, remember?" I said simply, grinning down at her.

"Oh." She seemed to have lost the ability to say anything more when we were finally inside the stone living room.

Esme had put so much thought into everything here, gathering pieces from the main house she knew Bella loved and bringing them here. It was eclectic, light, and warm. The color scheme resembled the main house, changed just enough to match the colors in the stone floors and walls and the exposed beams that hung overhead.

"So?"

She pushed against my chest, silently telling me to put her down. I immediately complied.

She gazed over at the driftwood fire flickering in the fireplace that Jacob had obviously lit for her. "It's perfect."

"You've not seen it all yet," I reminded her.

"I don't need to see it all to know it's perfect."

She had no idea how happy everyone—Esme especially—would be when they heard how much she loved the cabin.

I managed to lead her away from the plush, leather chair that sat next to the fire and into the kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, and the enormous closet Alice had designed for us before showing her what would eventually be Cal's room.

"They didn't do much to it," I told her, wrapping my arms around her and laying them over the baby. "They wanted you to be involved in it." They'd simply painted the walls to match the rest of the house, laid down pale, hardwood floor, and purchase the wrought iron crib Bella had her eye on. Bella was to pick out the bedding and change the paint color to match, if she wanted.

"It's…" She stopped and let her hand trace over the crib. "How did I get so lucky?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm lucky, Edward. It's as simple as that."

I bent down and kissed her temple, feeling her body melt against mine. "I'm the lucky one," I argued futilely. "You could have told me to take a hike when I came back."

She shook her head against my chest and turned around to face me. I may not have been able to read her mind, but I could see how everything I was feeling was mirrored there in her eyes.

"Never," she finally whispered. "I… love you."

I smiled at the uncertainty in her words. "They're not enough, are they? Those three words?"

"Not even close."

I brought her lips to mine, letting myself get lost in her warmth before speaking again.

"I love you too," I finally said back. "Always."


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviews! Seriously, I keep trying to reply to them, and something always comes up. I feel so fail about it, but I've always figured if I have free time you'd probably rather me write than reply, yes?**

**Thanks to Stratan, as usual :)**

* * *

Chapter 11

**Bella**

I awoke from the nightmare drenched in a cold sweat. The smell of something sizzling on the grill was faint, and Edward was standing in the doorway watching me with his arms crossed over his chest, an anxious expression pinching his features.

"Love?"

"Nightmare," I groaned. I pulled the covers over my head and tried to dispel the images, but it was no use. They were ingrained in my mind now; their warning left me on edge.

"The same one?" he asked and came to my side. He swept the covers off of my face so he could see me. "The one about the boy?"

I inhaled deeply and curled my limbs around the baby. "Yeah," I answered. It was always the same dream, the same feeling of urgency to protect the bronze haired, green-eyed boy from the danger that lurked in the shadows.

"You know that none of us would ever let her get to Cal, don't you?" he asked softly. His fingers brushed over my face comfortingly.

"Tell my subconscious that," I replied with a small smile. I looked around the room, trying to feel something other than this panic inside me.

"I thought I just did," he teased.

I gave him a small smile in return. "I love this house," I sighed in an effort to change the subject. "Have I mentioned that lately?"

It was such a huge surprise to see what was designated as _my house_ standing in the middle of the woods, but for once, it was a good surprise. I loved the colors of the stone, the fireplace, and the huge, white-canopied bed I was currently laying in. I even loved the massive—and unnecessary—closet Alice had forced Esme to add on for us, and all the clothes inside it. I loved that his family had known we wouldn't be happy in the main house once the baby arrived, that we needed our own space. But most of all, I loved that it was _ours_, and all the privacy that one little word gave us.

He smirked knowingly. "You might have mentioned it once or twice."

His lips descended on mine; his scent wrapped around me. He kissed me languidly, but as usual, it wasn't enough. I needed more. I brought my hands to his face, securing him to me as we deepened the kiss. A low moan escaped my lips, and before I knew it, he had abruptly pulled away so that he was standing again.

"Jacob's here," he said in explanation, looking just as annoyed as I felt. "He wanted to 'hang out' before the tribal meeting."

I frowned. "Seriously? _Hang out_?"

"His words, not mine."

"Wait a minute." I suddenly perked up with the realization that there was actually something on the grill and it hadn't been my imagination at all. "Is he cooking?"

He grinned crookedly, obviously entertained by the shift in my mood. "He is. He brought steak with him. T-bones, to be exact."

I threw the covers off of me and used Edward's arms to help lift myself up and out of the bed. He laughed a little with how frantic I was to get to the food, but I ignored him. At this point, it was nothing new.

I hurried out to the garden and found Jake staring down at two browning pieces of beef on the grill Edward had just—thanks to a recent craving—bought me. My mouth started watering almost instantly, and I brought my hand up to the swell of my stomach and rubbed.

"I know," I murmured to Cal. "I'm working on it, I promise."

Jacob heard me and twisted around with a smile. "You're up. Edward said you'd been sleeping for a couple hours."

I shrugged. I couldn't keep track of how long I slept anymore. It seemed to be all the time. "How long have they been cooking?" I asked in reference to the steaks.

"Um, I just put yours on a couple of minutes ago."

"Take it off the grill now," I instructed Jacob, glancing over at what was my lunch. "That's perfect."

"It's barely done," he argued as he grabbed the steak with the tongs and set it on a nearby plate.

"Which means it's perfect," I said and snatched it away from him. I headed back inside the cottage and started loading up the empty spots on my plate with food from the enormous spread sitting out on the counter.

"How did you do all this?" I asked Edward as I grabbed the steak sauce from him. "You don't cook."

He smiled sheepishly and dragged a hand through his hair. "Food Network. I sometimes watch it when you're asleep. I thought that maybe I should know how to feed my wife—and possibly my son—for the rest of eternity."

"You're amazing. Thank you," I laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek before grabbing a knife and a fork, and then retreating back to our bedroom.

I put the plate down and worked on getting into the bed, which was a feat in itself, given the baby's size. It was like my body had been taken over by him overnight; I could hardly move anymore. Judging by the little information I had about pregnancy, it meant that I was nearly done, something that was exciting and terrifying all at once. I had no idea what to do with the baby when he got here, and I was pretty sure that the numerous baby books sitting on bookshelves all over the world would do me no good, thanks to his heritage.

I finally got settled and set the plate down on my stomach, glowering up at my laughing brother entering the room as I did.

"It's not funny," I snapped, sawing into the steak. Cal shifted and caused the plate to bounce slightly, and I had to hurry and catch it before it toppled off onto the bed.

Alice would not have been happy if I'd have marred the pristine white comforter so soon. Come to think of it, neither would I, but for a completely different reason: my lunch would be ruined.

"It is," he snickered and put his own plate down on the nightstand beside him. "It's…" He stared at my plate and started laughing harder. "You know that being able to put that there means you're huge, right?"

"Yeah," I sighed despondently, "I know. Believe me, I know."

"Ah, Bells, come on. I didn't mean it like that. You look great, I promise. It just looks like you've swallowed a beach ball, that's all."

"A beach ball?" I asked, appalled. "I'm not that big, am I?"

"You're not small," he grumbled to himself, and then spoke up, "So since when do you eat your steak rare, Miss 'I Can't Stand Sushi'?"

"I don't know. Cal seems to like it," I mumbled around my food.

"Which means he's more like Edward," he deduced.

"Not necessarily. We don't mind the taste of raw meat when we're hunting as wolves," I countered.

Jacob thought of that for a moment and finally nodded his acquiescence. "Anyone find anything else about him?"

"Nope. What about with you guys?"

"Not a thing. Guess he really is the first of his kind."

I took another bite and shared a look with Edward as he came back into the bedroom with a glass of water for me. "I guess so," I said as I took it from him. There was nothing left really to say. We'd already said it all; over and over again from the time we found out I was pregnant.

"Seriously, though, Bella, what do you think he'll be like when he's born?" Jacob asked, sitting beside me and leaning up against the headboard. "Will he be more like the bloodsuckers or more like us?"

"Jake!" I protested, while Edward just stood silently against the wall, fighting a smile at whatever thoughts were racing through Jacob's mind.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Is 'bloodsuckers' not PC?" He looked over at Edward. "Am I not allowed to call you that now just because you got married to my sister?"

"You don't see Edward calling you any names."

"Because he was born over a century ago," he said dryly. "Politeness was ingrained in his people from birth."

I snorted. _His people._ "You're an idiot."

He flashed a smug smile. "You love me anyway."

I refused to answer that; instead, I concentrated on finishing my food so we could leave for the reservation.

Edward took our dirty dishes to the kitchen and washed them up while I got into something a little more appropriate for a council meeting: like a decent pair of sweatpants (black) and one of Edward's brand new, white long sleeved tees hanging in the closet. I jerked my hair up into a messy ponytail and went into the living room to put on my shoes.

"Um…" I couldn't reach my feet, no matter how hard and which position I tried. It was just impossible. "I guess I'm doing this barefoot," I said to myself, throwing the shoes haphazardly to the side.

"You're not really going barefoot," Edward laughed incredulously. "Are you?"

I shrugged and worked to stand up. "At this point, Edward, I don't care."

His laughter stopped when I glared at him. What was with these men laughing at me today? "I'm sorry. It's… cute."

My eyes narrowed into angry slits. "Cute?" Edward's shirt was barely big enough to fit over my stomach, which meant that I was quickly running out of things to wear, and I could no longer put my shoes on, much less actually see my feet. It was _anything_ but cute.

I turned to face my brother. "Jake, can I hop a ride with you back to the reservation? I'm not currently speaking to my husband."

"Uh, sure. I'll just be outside. Give you two some um… yeah." He darted out the door before either of us could say any more.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, abruptly at my side. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. I'm just… tired of this," I admitted. "How do normal women do this for nine months?"

"It's gradual. They're eased into it, unlike you, who ended up like this within two weeks of finding out. But I think every woman gets frustrated at the end, don't they?"

"You're asking me?" I said with an arch of my brow.

He chuckled. "Not really. I probably know more about it than you at this point, other than how it feels. For obvious reasons." He motioned broadly to the lower half of his body.

A giggle burst out of my chest at his attempt to lighten my mood. I stood up on my toes and gave him a quick kiss. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

I started to walk away but he captured my wrist and gently pulled me back.

"You not being able to bend over and put your shoes on is cute to me, because I don't know if we'll ever be in this position again," he said softly. "I'm trying to appreciate it all, baby, even the parts where you're upset and ready to punch something—like me."

I'd never thought of it like that. As much as I was ready to get this baby out of me, he was right. This may never happen to us again.

"I'd never punch you. Part vampire shifter or not, you still might break my hand."

We made it to Billy's house just before the meeting was scheduled to begin. Carlisle's black Mercedes was sitting out front, along with Sue's car, which made me extremely nervous. With all the commotion Victoria's newborns were causing to the north, Charlie hadn't had a chance to come and see us since the wedding. He had no idea how pregnant I was now.

Edward sensed the shift in my mood immediately. "Calm down," he murmured into my ear. "He's missed you."

"But he's... I mean…" I took a deep breath and just stopped talking since I couldn't seem to stop stumbling over my words.

Everyone's attention was focused on us as we walked inside the tiny, red house. Billy nodded his greeting, while Charlie just stood at a standstill, his eyes growing larger by the second as they ran over my body.

"How are you feeling today, Bella?" Carlisle asked warmly.

"Tired, but I'm okay." I glanced over at Charlie and waved. "Hey."

"You're-" He stopped himself. "Hi."

"Huge? You can say it, Dad. I won't get offended," I offered with a smile.

He blew out a breath in relief. "I can't believe it. The last time I saw you, you could barely tell."

"I know. Want to feel?" I wasn't sure why I asked him that. Maybe it was so we could finally have some kind of connection again. I knew he was having a hard time with this, and with as accepting as he was of everything else, I had to admit it was hard to watch him distance himself from me. It was like the baby finally made this all real for him.

"I can?"

"Why couldn't you?" I laughed. "He's your grandson."

Charlie's expression brightened at this, and he hesitantly came over to where I was standing. He put his hands over the baby, barely touching him, and waited nervously.

I pushed against Cal to hopefully speed up the process. Within a couple of seconds, he was slowly moving around, almost as if we'd woken him up.

Charlie snatched his hands back. A smile worked at his lips as he looked back up at my face; his eyes danced excitedly. "I remember when your mom-" He cleared his throat. "Won't be long now."

"I sure hope not," I lamented. "I can hardly move."

He chuckled. "Renee said the same thing every single day for the two weeks before you were born." His eyes darted over to Billy, and then back to me again. "I guess this meeting needs to begin."

He started to move past me. "You're not staying?"

"I'm not a part of the tribe… yet." He threw me a wink as he started out the door.

I glanced over at Sue; my face nearly split into two with my smile from the implication of that one little wink. "Okay, I'll see you afterwards, then."

The meeting soon began with Carlisle talking about the progress he'd made with the clinic in the last couple of weeks. With everything going on, I hadn't even realized he'd been working on it.

Of course, I voiced this aloud because I had no idea how to keep my mouth shut sometimes.

"The clinic's done?" I blurted out.

Carlisle smiled at me. "It is. It should open to the public on Monday."

"Huh." Carlisle laughed at my surprise, so I quickly explained myself. "I just didn't realize you'd been working on it so much. Sorry," I told him with a hot blush.

"You'd be amazed at what you can accomplish when you don't sleep," he responded.

I had no response to that. It seemed like all the vampires around me were busying themselves while I was sleeping.

"Before we go," he continued, "I wanted to propose something to you all."

Billy sat up a little straighter. "Which is?"

"I thought that maybe we could help with the tribe's finances."

A low murmur of shock went throughout the room. Paul sneered something to Sam, stopping only when he saw me watching him.

_Jerk._

"I don't know," Billy said slowly.

"I understand your hesitance," Carlisle responded, "but let me explain. We've considered you family since the moment Bella and Edward imprinted. With my daughter Alice's… special abilities, we've done very well for ourselves. It wouldn't be a burden to help fund certain things the tribe needs help with."

Billy still looked skeptical.

Edward interjected. "Believe me when I say that Alice has made Carlisle more money than one can possibly dream of."

Billy was silent for a moment. "Can we think about it?"

"Of cour-"

Carlisle broke off the second I sucked in a startled breath. I doubled over and clutched onto Edward's arm; my entire abdomen seemed to suddenly tighten around the baby. Every part of my midsection—including my back—radiated in pain until it passed.

Edward froze in place, and his eyes zeroed in on my stomach. "Bella?"

I glanced around the room and held up a finger, waiting for it to happen again. "Hold on," I mumbled.

"What?" Jacob asked, coming toward me. "What's up?"

I didn't answer. I was too busy concentrating on the baby.

"Bella, you're killing me here," Edward groaned. "What just happened?"

"I think you know…"

Carlisle was at my side before I could blink, his cool hands straightening me up and feeling my abdomen.

After what felt like an eternity, it happened again. It felt like my stomach had a vice grip on the baby. I fell against Edward with a grunt. The pain was almost blinding, confusing, and I knew that it was just going to get so much worse.

"Am I in labor?" I gasped when I could finally speak again.

Carlisle nodded. "Looks that way."

"Really?" I nearly shrieked.

He squeezed my arm soothingly. "It's nothing to be scared of, Bella."

A shaky laugh escaped my throat. I swallowed convulsively, and then nodded while adding, "Sure it's not," sarcastically.

He smiled. "I'll go ahead to the clinic and get a room set up for you. Edward, you'll bring her there for me?"

Edward nodded, his entire body tense with nerves… fear… I couldn't tell. "I need someone to get her a bag ready," he said tersely.

"I'll go," Jacob said, bouncing around in a panic. "I can tell everyone at the house what's going on too, if you want."

"That would be great," I breathed, suddenly terrified of what was to come. "Thanks."

A frenzy of things happened, and before I knew it, I was on my way out the door and to Carlisle's awaiting Mercedes.

With Edward's help, I sat down, and then waited for him to get into the driver's seat. The moment he was in the car, I leaned against his arm. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but I needed the contact with him in order to keep calm.

We arrived at the clinic just as another contraction swept over me. I gritted my teeth and tried not to cry out with the pain.

Edward helped me out of the car and led me to the door. I took three steps and felt something warm trickle down my leg.

"Oh, my God," I whimpered. "This is really happening." It wasn't a false alarm caused by severe indigestion, or any of the other issues Carlisle had warned me about. I was, without a doubt, in labor.

"Your water broke," Edward realized.

"Yeah."

We took another few steps before Edward abruptly stepped in front of me. "Hey, what's wrong? I thought this was what you were waiting for."

I held up my trembling hands. For the first time since we'd gotten married, I felt like I was going to throw up. "It is, but I'm so scared," I admitted.

He took them and held them up to his lips, kissing each of my fingers slowly. "You'll be fine. Both of you will." Whether he was trying to convince me or himself, I couldn't tell.

"How do you know?" I whimpered. "What if something goes wrong? It's not a human birth… We don't know what to expect or-"

"Bella," he said firmly, cutting me off. "Carlisle's ready for every scenario possible. It'll be okay. You'll see."

I exhaled loudly and nodded. "Okay."

"I think panicking might run in the Black family," he mumbled to himself. "You and Jacob both…"

"Shut up. You're not any better. You're just hiding it well."

He pressed his lips together so that he didn't smile and opened the door for me, finally saying, "Didn't say that I was."

* * *

**Edward**

Bella screamed out; it was an agonized, guttural sound that pierced right through me, and gripped onto the side of the gurney as another contraction hit. From the moment Bella's water had broke, things sped up dramatically. Her contractions were intense—one right on top of the other— and her body burned almost every drug Carlisle gave her off immediately, giving her almost no reprieve from the pain. The only thing left for him to try was an epidural, and he was currently waiting for Bella's labor to progress enough so that her body didn't burn it all off before the baby was actually born.

"Just cut him out," she pleaded in desperation, panting. "Please, just get him out. I can't take this anymore."

A tear streaked down her cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. She was hotter than usual, so I let my hand linger against her skin, hoping that it would cool her down a bit.

"Yes, you can," I argued, trying my best to stay calm and keep my own growing feelings buried. She didn't need me agonizing over her every whimper and move. She needed me to be calm and steadfast. More importantly, she needed me to be ready. "You've come this far; you can make it another hour."

She shook her head and sobbed once. "I can't, Edward. I- Oh, God."

Another contraction came over her, and this time, she grabbed a hold of my shirt and pulled me down to her. Her eyes were wild with the pain, and her skin dampened further with sweat.

"Bella," I groaned, unable to take the overwhelming feeling of helplessness anymore. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" she grunted.

"I can't do anything for you."

Her eyes softened a bit as the contraction slowly died down. Their two heartbeats thrumming in my ears was the only sound until she abruptly sucked in a breath and relaxed.

"You're here. It's enough," she rasped, jerking the cup of ice off of the table and pulling one of the larger pieces out.

Carlisle came in and took in the scene before him. He gave me a sympathetic look, and then came to Bella's side. "Edward, would you mind getting me the epidural supplies? I think from the sound of things, it'd be best to start the drip now."

"Oh, thank God," she breathed.

I knew what he was doing; he was giving me a few seconds to clear my head and gather my strength again in case the epidural didn't work. He had a plan, one that consisted of speeding the drip to double the usual, human dose, but we had no idea if it would work or not. I appreciated it—more than I could ever say—but I still hesitated.

I didn't want to leave Bella's side for a second.

"_Just go, Edward. I'll examine her while you're out."_

He chuckled when I still didn't budge.

"Baby?" Bella whispered. "Are you going or not?"

I let my eyes flicker down to Bella, who was gearing up for another contraction. The way her face quickly contorted in pain was enough to snap me out of my stupor.

I nodded my head and pressed a kiss to Bella's forehead. "Yeah, sorry. You don't want me to stay through this contraction?"

She shook her head fiercely. "No. Just... hurry back," she said between her teeth.

Esme was at my side the instant I stepped out of the room, but I didn't stop to talk to her. Bella was my main priority. "You've got to talk to me while I walk," I told her apologetically.

She followed me down the hall to the storage closet. "They're all getting antsy out there for an update. How is she?"

Bella's low moan filtered through the walls, and I flinched with the sound. Esme's chin trembled with the urge to cry, even though she couldn't physically produce tears. I knew by the look on her face she needed some kind of comfort, so I put my arm around her tiny shoulders and drew her against my side.

"She's okay," I told her, reiterating the same thing I'd been telling both Bella and myself all afternoon long. She—they both—had to be. The alternative was too unbearable to even consider.

"She's strong," she replied with a nod. She straightened up and took a steadying breath. "So. Update."

I unlocked the closet and started getting everything out. "It's not going to be much longer. Carlisle's getting ready to give her an epidural so she can rest before the baby's born."

"Okay. What do I tell Charlie?"

"He'll be a grandfather in the next hour, I guess," I sighed.

"So soon?" She glanced at the clock, trying to tally up the total amount of time Bella had been in labor.

"I know. It's been fast, like everything has for her. I suppose we should have anticipated it given how fast her metabolism is and how quickly the baby's grown. It was always a possibility, but so were a million other things. I-"

She ran her hand over my arm soothingly. "She's doing well, right?" I nodded. "Then don't be so hard on yourself."

I shut my eyes. "I need to get back in there." As if on cue, Bella screamed out again. "She needs a break."

Esme gently pushed me away. "Go."

I came back into the room and found Carlisle running a cold washcloth over Bella's face. She looked so exhausted, like if he moved his hand away from her, she'd collapse. Her hair was in damp, thick strands against her forehead and her skin was flushed from the exertion, but she was still the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

I shook my head at myself and crossed the room.

She opened her eyes and gave me a weak smile as soon as she heard me. "Drugs. Yay."

I placed everything down on the cart beside the bed and rolled it to the side that Carlisle was sitting on. "Drugs," I confirmed. I reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "How far is she?"

"Eight and a half centimeters," Carlisle said quietly. "The baby will be here before we know it."

Carlisle waited until Bella's next contraction had passed, quickly preparing the needles and IV line that he would use to administer the drug, and then helped her over to the side of the bed. He used his speed to find the epidural space before Bella's next contraction reached its peak. As soon as her hands started clenching down on my arms, and we could see she was struggling not to move, he was taping the line up her back and telling her that she could lift her head and relax.

She lied back and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. "Please, make this work before the next one comes," she murmured to herself drowsily.

I smiled and sat beside her. "Try to get some sleep. You heard Carlisle: the baby will be here before we know it."

A little line formed between her brows, but she didn't open her eyes. "I can't sleep. I'm too tired to sleep."

I laughed at her logic. "Then what do you want to do? Want to watch TV?"

She shook her head. "I just want to lay here. Maybe you could get my dad?"

"Sure."

I found Charlie pacing outside, talking anxiously on the phone to Sue. As soon as he saw me, his head snapped up and he ended the call.

"Is the baby here?"

"Not yet," I replied. "Carlisle gave her an epidural." One that, from the sound—or lack thereof—seemed to be working. "She's asking for you."

Charlie practically ran back inside, passing everyone by without a word. He took one look at his weakened daughter and stopped in his tracks.

He cleared his throat and ran his hand over the back of his neck, trying to figure out if he could speak or not as he made he way to her side.

"It's okay, Dad," she said quietly. She let her eyes flutter open long enough to reassure him, and then closed them again.

It was wrong, in every way, to see her so tired and frail. She was usually so strong and resilient. She had the potential to be the most powerful wolf in the tribe, yet here she was, lying…

"It's not," he protested. "At all." He glanced over at me. "Carlisle can't do anything to help her?"

"Her body's burned everything he's given her off. The epidural is the last chance for some pain relief for her, other than putting her under general anesthesia and taking the baby."

"Which I don't want," Bella added. "Even though I might be screaming it sometimes."

I flashed her a crooked grin, pretending that seeing the toll the last few hours had had on her wasn't affecting me at all. It was all I could do, to be here for her.

"I can handle this," she continued emphatically. "I promise."

Charlie sighed, knowing how stubborn Bella could be, and decided to change topics. "You're not in pain?"

"It seems to be working." She shifted uncomfortably as another contraction started but didn't make a sound. "Yeah. They're manageable now."

Charlie sat beside her silently for a while, letting her rest as much as possible. I listened to her breathing; waiting for the long, steady breaths that came with sleep. And finally, after what seemed like hours, she fell asleep.

"She's asleep," I sighed, voicing my thoughts to Charlie.

"Good." He stood up. "She needs it. Are you hanging in there all right?"

I pulled at my hair and shrugged. "I suppose."

"It's hard, isn't it? Watching her suffer?"

"It's one of the hardest things I've ever been through," I admitted vaguely, thinking about those few days Bella spent in Phoenix. I'd thought nothing could compare to the fear I felt then. But this... "I feel so helpless."

"It's worth it," he promised.

It wasn't long before Carlisle was checking on her progress again. Without a word, he started moving things around and adjusting the bed, our cue that it was time for Bella to push.

He sat down at the foot of the bed and glanced between us. I could see his eyes crinkle with the smile that was hidden behind his mask. "Ready?'

Bella sat up and nodded. She shook nervously again; her teeth chattered as she reached for my hand. For a brief moment, I was worried if the emotions running through her would cause her to phase. But when her small hand connected with mine, she took a deep breath that quelled every tremble in her body, and went to push at Carlisle's instruction.

Her focus was intense, and her strength was suddenly renewed. She fought with everything she had to bring our baby into the world as quickly as possible.

She was, without a doubt, the most amazing creature I'd ever laid eyes on.

And then there he was. Bella fell back and grinned triumphantly, waiting for Carlisle to place him on her chest. I quickly cut the chord, marveling at how perfect he was, until Carlisle whisked him away and began examining him.

I made sure Bella was all right then headed over to the clear incubator my son laid in, unable to take my eyes off of him. His dark hair was matted against his head, brightening up with each pass of the towel until it matched my own odd, bronzed color. He was quiet, blinking his dark green eyes rapidly as he glanced around the bright room in confusion, and then all at once, his face puckered up and he let out a shockingly loud wail, exposing a mouth full of tiny, perfect, white teeth.

_Teeth._

Carlisle pulled his stethoscope away with a laugh. "He's perfectly healthy. I can't find anything unusual about him. He's... a lot like Bella."

Intrigued, I ran my hand over his tiny head. He was hot like Bella; so hot, my icy touch startled him and he began crying again. I yanked my hand back with the sound, unwilling to touch him again for fear of making him cry even louder. I had no idea what to do with the squirming infant without making him worse.

Then, I picked up on his thoughts. It wasn't the chill of my touch that frightened him. It was the unknown sensation. Much like Bella and me, he didn't feel the drastic shift temperature like a typical, human baby would. He was… bewildered, to say the least.

"It's okay, Caleb," I murmured distractedly, more focused on remembering how to wrap him up properly than I was speaking.

His eyes widened in recognition.

"That's right." I smiled widely at the connection he made between my face and the voice he'd heard speaking to him through Bella's skin.

I wrapped him in the pale green blanket Alice had supplied, and then cradled him to my chest and turned to face Bella. Her eyes were shining with tears, and her face broke out into a glorious smile upon seeing the two of us coming closer.

I placed him in Bella's awaiting arms and watched the two of them get acquainted with one another. He shifted a little and yawned, causing Bella to gasp quietly.

"He has teeth already."

"I know." I didn't want to think about what that meant. There was only one reason my kind had teeth…

She ran her finger lightly over his cheek, grinning when his mouth quirked up with the movement and he made a garbled sound of contentment. "He looks so much like you."

I carefully sat beside her and examined him a little closer. "I don't know." His lips were shaped exactly like Bella's; the top was just a little fuller than the bottom. "I see you in him too, love."

For once, she didn't argue. She simply curled him up toward her face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Caleb Jasper Cullen, you are the most beautiful creature in the world. Even more so than your daddy."

"Jasper?"

She chewed on her lip nervously. "What do you think?"

"I think after everything he's done for us, it's fitting."

"So do I." She let her head fall against my shoulder and sighed. "Want to let everyone see him now? I bet they're all bouncing around out there. Alice, especially."

"You should try to feed him before you let everyone in to make sure he can handle being around the more...human family members," I answered. "We don't know which part of his nature rules his appetite."

"Oh. I should have thought of that since he has teeth already." She let her eyes slide over to where Carlisle was busy cleaning before focusing on the baby again. "Well, he's seen everything else..." Her cheeks suddenly reddened. "God, how embarrassing."

Carlisle bit back a laugh. "I won't turn around until the two of you are finished. Don't worry."

Bella pulled down her gown and shifted Cal in her arms. "I have no idea what I'm doing, you know," she said to him. "So help me out a little, okay?"

But she did. In no time at all, Cal was nursing.

"I guess he likes it?" she asked, glancing up at me.

I didn't answer. He seemed to want to feed from Bella, but I was still a bit wary of his nature. He hadn't been exposed to any humans yet. Any one of them could trigger his thirst, if he did prove to be somewhat like me—and his teeth were a necessity—I couldn't risk having one of them bitten. There were still so many questions left unanswered, the most important one being whether he was venomous or not.

When she and Cal were finished, Carlisle went to retrieve our family. I bent down and ran the tip of my finger over his lips slowly. "No biting," I said sternly, not moving until I was sure he understood my instructions.

Bella gave me a funny look.

"Just in case."

Alice and Esme came bounding through the door first, almost pulling it off the hinges with their excitement. They fawned over Cal and held him like he was the most fragile thing on this earth, all while chattering incessantly about bibs and booties and the other baby items they'd had their eyes on for the last couple of weeks.

"So what's his full name?" Alice asked, feigning ignorance, as she gave Caleb to Jasper.

"Alice," Jasper warned. But you didn't need to be an empath to feel the pride coming from him.

"Eavesdropper," Bella teased, staring at Alice pointedly.

"Shh. I saved you the big, attention-inducing reveal. I deserve a thank you."

Bella giggled and rolled her eyes but was serious when she spoke. "Thank you. Both of you."

Caleb was passed around the entire family, sleeping the entire time. They were happy, intrigued by what was to come. Even Paul stuck his head in the door and grumbled about him being cute... and normal-looking. It struck me that the scene was almost perfect. We were just missing one key member of the group.

Rosalie.

Everyone started trickling out of the room so Bella and Caleb both could rest. Charlie was the last to hold Cal, and it seemed like maybe I'd overreacted about him biting anyone. He either didn't want their blood, or he didn't _realize_ he wanted it yet.

Charlie's smile was full of wonder as he stared down at the baby, and then it faded as he realized what the baby's presence in his life meant. I couldn't help my laugh at this.

"Ah, hell. I've got to try to get along with the lying bastard now."

Bella gaped in shock. "Dad!"

"Well, it's true." He sighed heavily and handed me Cal. "This kid deserves it."

"Smart Grandpa," I murmured, too low for Charlie or Bella to catch.

"I'll be back tomorrow, maybe with Sue, if that's okay with you."

"It's fine." Bella paused for a moment. "Hey, were you serious earlier?"

"Serious about what?" Charlie asked in confusion.

"Sue."

He gave her an embarrassed look. "Caught that, did you?"

"How could I not?" she replied with a grin. "'Not part of the tribe… yet'."

He chuckled. "Would you mind?"

"Not if it made you happy," she answered.

"I think it would." She gave him a questioning look, so he elaborated. "You've changed my life drastically in the last few weeks. It's been hard to get used to, but I'm honestly happier now than I was before; I might as well roll with it.

Speaking of change, have you thought about what you're going to tell your mother? She called and asked if I'd heard from either of you since your wedding. She seems to be under the impression you're still on your honeymoon."

Bella and I glanced at each other. We hadn't really discussed the story we were going to tell Renee. We were going to have to find a plausible excuse for Cal's presence in our life sooner than we'd thought.

"No. Not the truth, obviously," Bella said.

"I can talk to Carlisle about it, see what he thinks." He was much more experienced at hiding our world from humans than I. It only seemed right to get his input.

Charlie nodded. "Let me know what you come up with so I can corroborate your story. I'm sure she'll be calling me in a panic when you do."

"Okay," Bella replied with a laugh. "We will."

"You did good, Bells," he said as he opened the door, glancing back at Cal. "Real good."


	12. Chapter 12

**When Stratan and I talked this chapter over, we realized it was going to be a long one. So over 5k into it (and BPOV only) we decided to split it and get this out sooner. Chapter 13 will be all EPOV and will hopefully (my RL cooperating) not take as long to post as this chapter did.**

**Thanks to Strat for putting up with me this week... I was kind of emo and a pain in the ass. God bless him. Thanks to everyone for the reviews and adds. Even though I don't get a chance to respond to them all, they're all read and truly appreciated. I swear.**

** There's a little information about Rosalie's whereabouts in this chapter. And as soon as I'm able, I'll post the outtake that describes it more. **

**Last thing: I was asked by a few people how Cal could breastfeed with teeth. In human terms, it's completely possible. Most moms just stop when their babies start getting teeth because most babies tend to bite. Some don't, though, and so they don't need to switch to bottles right away. That was my basis for Cal. And being the fact that Bella's actually awake and available in this fic - and their baby isn't exactly like Renesmee - it seemed only natural that he would rely solely on Bella at first.**

* * *

Chapter 12

**Bella**

Cal shifted in my arms and let out a heartwarming sigh of contentment. I stared down at him, awed by how that one little sigh could make emotion well in my chest so strongly that tears filled my eyes. He was perfect, every part of him, from the way his bronze hair curled haphazardly on top of his head to the way his completely average-looking skin felt under my fingertips.

I felt like I could spend hours looking at him—and I did. My eyes were trained on him no matter where he was; as if there was this biological instinct in me to protect what was mine. And I supposed there was. I just wasn't really interested in all the science. Not now. I had eternity to learn the how's and why's.

Edward came into the room and started gathering up my belongings, glancing over at us with the same look of wonderment I felt. He carefully folded the sweatpants I'd worn here and shoved them into the bag before migrating over to where I lied, like he was drawn to us.

He eased himself onto the bed gently, hoping not to shift the bed too much, but I still winced. Even with vampire venom and the quick healing of the pack, Cal's birth had taken so much out of me. I was sore and tired, and walking was a feat in itself. My appetite had dimmed slightly, but not much, thanks to how demanding my son was with food. His appetite was voracious, much like all the other members of the pack.

My son. That term still floored me.

"Sorry," Edward murmured, leaning back and wrapping his arm around us. He slid his other hand over Cal's short, bronzed curls and smiled. "He's amazing. I still can't get over it."

I frowned when I knew I should be smiling right along with Edward. But Cal was so… accelerated: physically, emotionally, and intellectually. In just two days, he was twice the size he was at birth. I was currently cradling him to my chest, but that was only because he was asleep. When he was awake, he was alert, drinking in everything around him, learning… exploring. He made beautiful, garbled noises constantly, something Edward said was an effort to speak. He preferred to sit on his own and moved with complete control of his body, almost like months had passed overnight. He wasn't chubby like a typical baby. He was… this tiny person already, and I felt as though I'd been gypped. In just a matter of weeks, my son would likely no longer have any resemblance to the creature that came into this world but rather that of a child that had been alive for years.

It was a little depressing.

I sighed. "He is."

"What is it?" Edward asked, taking my chin and turning my head so that he could see me clearly. "You sound… sad."

I pulled my head from his grasp and leaned against his shoulder so I could look at Cal as I answered. "He's growing so fast. I feel like I'm missing out on everything. I blink, and he's different. And I can't keep track of it like you."

"You're not missing out on anything, love," he assured me.

"Yes, I am. You read his thoughts. You know when he needs to be changed, fed, rocked, when he's exhausted or annoyed. You can hear and see the changes in him. I get none of that."

I glanced over to see that his expression had turned down a little.

"I'm sorry. I'm whining." I scrubbed my face with my free hand, and then focused on pulling the sleeve of Caleb's onesie down.

"No, it's unfair to you, though it can't be helped."

I started to answer, but Carlisle strode into the room with a measuring tape and a scale in his hands. He smiled at me apologetically as he set everything aside.

"It's that time again," he said quietly, even though we all knew exactly what was coming.

I bit down on my lip so I didn't huff with frustration and went to wake Cal. This was already the third time today Carlisle had performed his little test. I ran my hand over Cal's torso, stopping at his chest and shaking him gently until he started to stir. Then, I moved down his body until I got to his feet and started rubbing.

His forest green eyes popped open and searched the room. The moment they landed on Edward and me, he smiled, flashing those perfect little teeth of his.

"He's hungry," Edward murmured, brushing his thumb over Cal's lips. "Carlisle's going to measure you first."

Caleb let out a sound of protest but let Carlisle take him away without a fight. He sat on the scale with a bored expression, merely tolerating Carlisle's measurements because he knew he had to. Apparently, he understood that we needed to keep track of his growth and that all those measurements would help Carlisle and Edward predict the future a little better.

Or so I was told. It wasn't like I would actually know.

Carlisle gave him back to me and left me to feed him in private, taking the scale and measuring tape out with him. I got Cal situated and tried to get comfortable against Edward. He made this humming sound as he ate, and then suddenly stopped. He fought against my hold and turned his head up, toward my neck…

I gasped as a sharp streak of pain went through me. Caleb was wrenched out of my arms and passed over to Carlisle before I could blink.

"Blood," Edward said tersely, almost as if he was fighting with his own thirst. "He wants blood."

"I'll take care of it," Carlisle responded and left the room again, this time with Cal.

Edward hovered over me anxiously, watching me blot the blood off my chest with the sheet. His eyes were dark and uncertain, confusing me.

"Feel anything? Tingling, burning, anything at all?" he asked in a rush, looking as if he were going to pounce on me at any given second.

"What? No, I'm fine. He just surprised me." I glanced down at the tiny bite mark and noted the blood flow had already slowed down. "See? It's okay."

He pressed on the marks just enough to make blood well up again. He swiped at it with his index finger, and then brought it up to his lips so he could taste it, relaxing slightly as he did. "There doesn't seem to be any traces of venom…"

"Venom?" My heart skipped a beat. "As in, 'our baby could have changed me into a vampire' venom?"

He gave me a wry, strained smile. "That'd be the one."

"Holy…" I swallowed once. "You were ready to pull it out of my system again, weren't you?"

He nodded, his expression still tight. "I'd rather you stay as you are."

I smiled and let out a heavy laugh. "I think I would too."

Carlisle returned with the baby, holding him against his chest as he fed him the thick red liquid from a bottle. Cal drank greedily and used his hands to help fuse the bottle to his lips.

"This would explain the teeth," I muttered.

Carlisle nodded. "It appears he needs both human food and blood now."

"He's not venomous," Edward stated. "I couldn't find a trace of any in her system and she's obviously not feeling any aftereffects."

"Good, this is good. Maybe we can help control his urges better." Carlisle glanced down at Cal and grinned. "Although, you already do well, given how often Charlie is in to see you."

Caleb stopped drinking just long enough to smile back at Carlisle. The moment he resumed, Carlisle was speaking again.

"We'll need to monitor him with this as well. He could still start secreting venom. After all, he wasn't interested in blood for the first forty-eight hours of his life."

Great. One more test he'd have to go through daily.

"And I think it'd be best if Alice went shopping for an opaque baby bottle. Knowing he's being fed with blood and actually seeing it are two different things," Edward added. "It would be especially important when he's around Charlie or certain members of the tribe."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and was calling Alice in the next second, quietly giving her instructions after explaining what had happened. As soon as he hung up, Carlisle handed Caleb over to Edward and started back toward the door again.

"I'll get a few bags of blood ready for you to take home with you in case he wants to feed again before I finish here at the clinic."

When Carlisle was gone, Edward came back over to my side, watching Caleb drain what was in his bottle studiously before allowing him to sit back up in his lap. His arms outstretched toward me, but Edward moved his body so that they were facing the wall instead of me.

"Will you bite her again?" Edward murmured.

Caleb's eyes widened, and I could have sworn he shook his head. He must've answered Edward, though, because he sighed in relief, twisted around, and gave Cal back to me.

He curled up in my arms and placed one hand on the side of my throat, a pose I noticed him doing a lot of lately. He took a deep breath and relaxed, running his hand over my skin…

A voice echoed in my head, soft and apologetic, followed by a flash of memory… of Caleb's teeth sinking into my flesh.

I yanked him away from me, staring down at him in stunned silence. He looked back up at me, searching my face for some kind of acknowledgment.

"Bella, are you-?"

I shushed Edward so I could concentrate on our baby.

"Can you do that again?" I finally asked him.

He smiled and garbled something incoherent just before he stretched his hand out again, lightly brushing it across my face until he stopped at my cheek. The events from the last few minutes unfolded again, like a photo album being flipped through quickly in my subconscious. His thoughts were tinged with regret, and then moved to the feeling that had unfurled in his belly and the burn in his throat that had accompanied it. There was the satisfaction he got from nursing from me, but he still needed something more. He was a prisoner to his need and utterly confused. He didn't know how to stop.

But now he did.

"It's okay," I soothed. "You couldn't know."

His hand pressed against my face urgently now, and I could see every moment we'd spent together since he'd been born. His love for me and Edward was clear; he didn't want anything to happen to me.

"But I'm fine, Cal," I replied, squeezing his arm lightly. "And I'm sure you won't do that again."

A resounding "no" pounded through my head.

I glanced up at Edward. His eyes darted between us in shock, and then he abruptly laughed. I blinked as his laughter continued, coming up out of his chest and filling the air with a beautiful sound.

"He can get through your shield," Edward finally said between his laughs. "He can do what I can't."

Caleb turned his head and smiled widely at his father.

"I wonder what else he can do…" Edward trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Caleb kept his hand up on my face, talking to me while Edward finished getting all of our stuff together. He left the room for a while, which I assumed was so he could tell Carlisle of our son's newly discovered gift, and came back with a small, Styrofoam cooler packed with a few units of blood.

I paid only partial attention to what Caleb was telling me, murmuring "uh-huh" and smiling at the appropriate times, but I was more focused on Edward and what he'd said earlier: if Caleb could get past my shield, that meant it wasn't something that could come and go only when I had phased and only with the pack. And that opened up a whole new world for me. If I could harness that ability, I could use it all the time, dropping it at will and letting Edward in whenever I pleased.

It was the ultimate gift to him since he'd wished so often that he could hear me. One I wanted to give him just as desperately.

Edward's voice broke me away from the thought. "Ready to go, baby?"

Going back to the cabin with Edward and Caleb sounded divine, but I had a spurt of anxiety rush through me with the thought that the nursery wouldn't be done. But of course it would. Alice would never let us come home to an unfinished house.

"Help me up?"

He chuckled and came over to help me out of the bed, moving with the weight of our overnight bags like they weren't there. I grimaced and held onto Cal as I swung my legs around and stood up, and then immediately readjusted my hold on him so that I didn't drop him when I went to take a step.

Caleb reached up and touched my face, questions burning through the contact.

"Home," I answered. "It's um, it's where we live. You'll like it. Esme and Alice redid it for us."

Their faces popped up in my mind, and I giggled softly at the excitement in Cal's thoughts.

"I'll call them," Edward chimed in. "They can be there waiting for us."

Another face flashed in my mind, and this time, Edward laughed.

"And Jake as well." Edward paused. "I'll tell you what, we'll just go to the main house first so you can see them all."

Caleb liked this idea. A lot. Until he realized Carlisle would still be here at the clinic.

"He'll be there as soon as he can," I said. "I promise."

* * *

I hesitated at the top of the stairs of the main house, cringing with the thought of having to go back down them. Walking wasn't so much of an issue since the soreness seemed to be slowly fading from my body the more I moved around. But stairs… God… I did not want to go up and down them any more than necessary, and I'd only gone up in the first place to take a shower. If anything else was needed from the second or third floors, I was going to make sure to send Edward up for it. At least until I healed a little more.

Caleb's happy coo filtered through the walls, and then Emmett's deep chuckle followed, telling me that the two of them were engaged in some kind of game again. I braced myself and took a step, wincing with the movement. I stopped for a moment—long enough for Edward to appear at the base of the steps—before moving down to the next step, clinging to the banister as if my life depended on it.

"You're not helping me," I snapped.

"I'm not?" he replied with a crooked grin.

One more step. "No. Pain meds that actually worked would be great right about now, though."

"I'm sure Carlisle has something around here I could give you. It might last just long enough for you to get down those steps," he teased.

Another. "Well, I'm almost halfway there now. Don't bother."

I went to take another step, but my foot never landed on the hardwood plank. Edward had swooped in and picked me up, setting me carefully on my feet in the foyer before I ever had a chance to fight back, as useless as it would have been.

"Edward, what the-?"

"No sense in you hurting yourself or prolonging the healing process because of your stubbornness," he interrupted unrepentantly.

"But I could have made it."

"I know you could have. But it's my job to take care of you and Cal." I started to speak, but he plowed on before I could get a sound out. "You're my mate. He's our child. It's this… biological drive in me to provide for you. And I know you know exactly how that feels. I see it every time you look at him. So just get used to it."

I huffed. There was absolutely no way I could argue with that, and he knew it.

He grinned in triumph until I glared at him, and then he smartly schooled his expression so that it was neutral. "Esme's in the kitchen making our son…" He cocked his head to the side, listening in. "… mashed potatoes."

How… _normal_. "Mashed potatoes?"

He nodded. "With the way he devoured those green beans earlier, she thought she'd give him something else to try. Do you want either of us to make you anything while we're in there?"

"Um…" I shook my head. "I'm still full from breakfast."

Edward gave me a skeptical look and didn't move.

"I swear." I reached up and trailed my fingers over his jaw, smiling as the typical rush of electricity sparked between us.

A little groan fell from his lips, and he closed his eyes as he leaned into my hand. "I miss you already. Know that?"

I hummed in contentment. "You can have me again soon."

"Not soon enough," he said on a snarl.

He ducked down and pressed his lips to mine then turned away and headed toward the kitchen without another word, no doubt to try to get his head straight again.

With my own deep breath, I turned the corner and went into the living room, feeling my chest warm when Cal's face lit up with my presence. I crossed the room and awkwardly sat beside him, wincing on my way down to the floor, just as Emmett knocked over the house of cards he'd been working on and started it from scratch again. Caleb watched every single move that Emmett made, furrowing his little brows in concentration as the tower got higher and higher, until all of the cards had been placed perfectly on top of each other.

Then, he grinned with delight again.

I smiled over at him. "Like that, huh?"

He clapped once and reached out toward me, replaying the scene when he touched my skin. He wanted to see it again.

"What does he do when he does that?" Emmett asked curiously, gathering the cards up so fast that they blurred.

"He's showing me what he wants or is thinking about. Carlisle seems to think it's only one of his abilities," I replied.

"He doesn't do that with the rest of us."

"Maybe he only has to do it with me because of my shield," I guessed. "Maybe he only wants to do it with me because one parent can already read his thoughts, and he wants me involved in the same way. I don't know, really."

Cal pushed against my arm.

I laughed, "It's all of that and more. Something he doesn't understand just yet."

Emmett gave Cal a serious look. "You're going to be really important some day, know that, kid?"

Caleb didn't understand Emmett's meaning, and I wasn't going to explain it to him for reasons that all circled around his growth rate. He wasn't going to be the innocent little boy sitting in the living room forever, and I wanted him to hold onto that for as long as I could. He knew he was different, but because we weren't sure of the extent, neither was he. I wanted him to stay happy and unburdened for as long as I could.

"Your dad's here, Bella," Alice said from the stairs. "I just heard his cruiser pull up."

I gave Caleb a look of mock surprise. "Hear that? Grandpa's here!"

Caleb turned to the door and stared at it hard, almost like he was willing for Charlie to walk through the door right then and there. I ran my hand over his hair thinking of how happy it made me that Cal had connected with Charlie so deeply.

And then before I understood what was happening, it all shifted. Emmett caught a sound outside and took in a deep breath of air, snapping upright in shock with whatever he sensed. There was a light knock then the door opened to reveal Charlie's bright smile.

"Hey, little man," he greeted excitedly, bending over a little as he walked toward Caleb and revealing another guest in the doorway behind him.

Although, guest wasn't really the appropriate term, now was it?

The second I caught sight of Rosalie's long blonde hair ruffling in the breeze, I snatched Cal up and bolted off of the floor, moving faster than my body wanted. I bit back a moan of pain and held him firmly against my chest, backing away from her as quickly as I could, taking Charlie right along with me.

But Edward was faster.

He practically materialized in front of us, crouching down defensively as a low growl bubbled out of his throat. It was a feral, menacing sound that clearly was meant as a warning. I pushed Caleb's head against my chest and covered his exposed ear with my hand, unsure if that sound would frighten him or not. I vaguely noticed that the rest of the family had come into the room and were all standing guard, but my main focus was on Cal and keeping him as far away from Rosalie as I could.

Rosalie froze mid-step; her face was stoic perfection as she gauged the situation. Emmett stood between us, glancing between his nephew and his mate, trying to decide whom he should protect in this situation. Unconsciously, Rosalie was winning out. His weight shifted toward her, even though he stared at where Caleb was sitting wide-eyed in my arms.

"It's okay," she said to him. "They have a right to be worried."

Edward's growl grew deeper. Pictures trembled against the wall and the sound of crystal clattering together caused me to pull Cal even tighter against me, ready to leap out of the room at any given moment.

"Jesus Christ," Charlie breathed, his eyes darting around the scene before us.

"Read my mind," Rosalie offered. "I won't hurt either of them."

Edward stood still as he probed into her mind, his eyes widening fractionally as he caught a glimpse of something she was giving him. He straightened up, but stayed in front of us, snaking his arm back and pulling us against him.

"Are you okay?" he asked flatly. "They're taken care of?"

She nodded. "Is that," she swallowed thickly, "is that him?"

"Yes."

"In just two days?" she asked in disbelief.

"He grows quickly," Edward answered.

Caleb struggled against my hold, peering out over Edward's arm at Rosalie before hitting his arm. When Edward didn't respond, he let out a muffled cry of annoyance, and then reached up and touched my face.

"You're ignoring him," I said quietly to Edward. "He doesn't like it."

Edward's hand loosened its hold on my shirt as he let out a resigned sigh. "That's Rosalie, Cal. She's like… Alice and Esme."

He paused to listen to Cal, never taking his eyes off of Rosalie.

"Emmett's mate," he finally murmured.

Cal blinked a couple of times as he processed it.

"Can I hold him?" she asked tentatively.

"No," I said sharply. "You don't touch him."

Sadness flickered over her face, but she didn't argue. "He's beautiful, Bella," she said earnestly. "Absolutely beautiful."

The room started to quake, so I wrapped my arm around Edward's and focused on my breathing. My emotions were all over the place, and my body wanted to phase in response; it demanded to take care of the threat.

"Bella," Edward said lowly, letting his eyes flash over to Charlie before staring at Rosalie again. "You can't."

"I know," I replied shakily. "I won't. It's not that bad."

"I'm sorry." She took a step toward Emmett, but her words for meant for us. "I was jealous and… I can't really explain it. But it should have never happened, no matter what."

"I feel like I'm missing something extremely important here," Charlie muttered. "Mind if I take Cal in the other room? He doesn't need to see all of this."

I felt more like myself, but I couldn't be sure that I wouldn't phase. To have the baby caught in the middle of it… I thrust him over to my father. "Go. I'll be there as soon as I can."

He met up with Esme at the doorway and followed her into the kitchen.

"Why'd you come back?" I asked as soon as Charlie was safely out of the room with Caleb.

"This is my home, if I'm still welcome."

"Of course you're welcome, babe," Emmett responded. "You just have to earn everyone's trust again."

"Yours too?"

Emmett didn't meet her stare.

"She doesn't come near Caleb," Edward announced to everyone else, "without one of you in the room. And until Bella says so, she doesn't touch him, either. Got it?"

No one objected.

"Good. As soon as Charlie leaves, we're heading back to the cabin." Edward grabbed my hand to lead me out of the room, only to stop when as we passed Rosalie.

"They're my family. I don't see any deceit in your thoughts, but this is Bella's call," he said to her quietly. "She can't read you like I can."

"I understand."

"As for Alaska… I…" He dragged his hand through his hair, alarming me. "They deserved everything they got."

Edward took me outside, not stopping until we were a safe distance away from the house.

"You left the baby," I shrieked. "With her in the house!"

"Esme isn't going to let her near him," he said softly. "She heard my warning. I just wanted to get you away from the situation before you phased. Your body's not ready for that yet."

"Okay," I breathed, jerking my hand free so I could pace around a little. He was right. Esme would never let anything happen to Cal, and I needed to cool down before I accidentally tore a muscle in my body that hadn't quite healed. I needed to be ready for when Victoria came with her newborns.

I glanced down at my hands and noticed that they still trembled. God, that was a close call. "What was that about Alaska?"

"You know that's where she's been," he answered simply.

I stopped mid-step and glowered at him. "Edward. I deserve a better answer than that. This is _my child_ we're talking about."

"You can't let Rosalie tell you herself?"

"No."

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Well?" I asked after a few minutes.

He dropped his hand, looking extremely unhappy. "She saw a little girl run out into the street. She disregarded our cardinal rule and ran over to save her from being hit by an SUV. At vampire speed. In broad daylight."

I gasped.

"She found the girl's mother lying in an alley. She recognized her injuries as those from her own… death and immediately called the police. She stayed with them until she couldn't anymore, and then went…" He paused to scrutinize my face. Satisfied with what he saw, he continued.

"She managed to break into the police station and get the descriptions the woman gave of her attackers and used her more… supernatural abilities to listen in on the various conversations of the town. When she found the men, she-"

I waved my hands wildly. "I don't want to know any more."

"Rosalie needs to tell you the whole story. The story of how she became what we are. It will make more sense. I don't… I don't really feel it's my place to," he said lowly, glancing back at the house. "It will also explain why she reacted the way she did to Caleb's existence and why she took revenge on the woman's attackers instead of letting the police take care of it."

"Nothing will explain her wanting to take me out of the picture so she could have our baby, Edward," I argued vehemently. "Nothing."

"I'm not agreeing with it, Bella." His tawny eyes burned into mine. "I'd never agree with it. It was rash, it was wrong… It went against everything Carlisle has built for us. But that doesn't mean I don't understand the reasoning."

I sighed. "You really don't think she'll do it again?"

He shook his head. "Something clicked with her when she was holding that little girl and waiting for the ambulance. I don't know what it means for the future, but it does mean that Rosalie knows how wrong she was. You just have to trust me on this."

I reached out for him and was pulled tightly against his chest immediately. "I do trust you."

He kissed my hair. "Can you go back without wanting to phase now?"

"Yeah, it was just a shock to see her back already. And… there was this part of me that wanted to eliminate the threat to Caleb as quickly as possible."

"Who knew you'd make such a good mom?" he murmured.

"Let's just go," I laughed.

We got back inside and found Charlie trying to feed Caleb, making an enormous mess in the process. Caleb didn't seem to mind, though. He was grinning and eating every spoonful my father gave him.

Two days, I thought suddenly. He only relied on me for two days. Now that he was able to tolerate actual human food and wanted blood, he didn't need me like he did when he was first born.

Although, if he was going to bite me every time, I might not be missing out on all that much.

Edward stood beside Charlie and started talking to Cal, so I decided to sneak off and speak to Rosalie while my family was preoccupied with the baby. I wasn't exactly sure why, but I didn't want to wait to have this conversation. I needed to get it all out of the way now.

I found her in almost the same spot we'd left her in, only instead of standing away from Emmett, they were wrapped up in each other, whispering a low conversation that I couldn't hear. I had enough respect for Emmett to turn and walk away, but was stopped when I heard his voice calling me back.

"With the fight approaching, we need to be able to come back here and relax. Please, just… try, Bella," he said seriously.

"That's what I came in here for. But if you two want to catch up, I can come back later."

Rosalie shook her head. "Stay," she said uncomfortably. "I have a lot to explain. If you'll give me a chance-"

"I'm giving you a chance," I cut her off. "It just doesn't mean I'll forgive you."

I sat down on the couch and waited for Rosalie to start her "explanation". The moment she opened her mouth my anger dissipated. It didn't make her actions forgivable in the least, but now, like Edward said earlier, I understood why she reacted the way she did. I had the husband, the humanity—the baby—she wanted and was denied because she'd been brutally attacked by the man she was supposed to marry. I couldn't even begin to wrap my mind around how that would feel. To have someone you loved let his "friends" take turns having their way with you while you lied beaten and broken on the cold, damp street-

I had to push the thought away before I gagged.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie," I finally managed. "Really, I am. But I still can't let you be around Cal. He's… He means more to me than I could ever try to say, and I wouldn't be able to sit around and wonder if you were going to take off with him or… worse."

I swallowed hard. "Maybe someday in the future you can have the relationship with him you want. I just don't see how it can be now."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "Now I think it's my turn to say I'm sorry. Again. I could probably say it every day for the rest of eternity and it would still never mean enough. I'm just glad that you and Edward are willing to give me another chance."

I knew Rosalie enough to know that she was not the type of person to apologize for herself, so to have her offering to apologize so often sounded a little weird. "That's not necessary."

"No, it is. I have no idea what was going through my head. I just turned into everything I hate. I let my nature control me and I… I turned into him." Her golden eyes were wide and missing the tears that came with the expression. "I wanted that baby. And I was going to stop at nothing and take what I wanted."

I didn't want to think about it anymore, so I changed the subject. "You killed those men in Alaska, didn't you?"

She let out a bleak laugh. "Let's just say that they can't hurt anyone else," she hedged.

Good enough for me.

I blew out a breath and went to stand. "I'm going to um… check on Edward and the baby," I said awkwardly. "I know we probably could talk about this for hours, but it's really kind of pointless."

She nodded. "We have time." As if she was suddenly second guessing that statement, she rushed on. "Right?"

"Looks like it," I agreed.

I found Edward quickly cleaning up Cal's mess so my dad could continue spending time with him. The instant he sensed my presence, he threw the washrag into the sink—with the perfect aim only vampires can manage—and flashed to my side.

"Feeling better now that you've heard it all?"

I shrugged. "About as good as I can, I guess."

He held me closer to him and murmured into my ear, "Jacob's on his way. After he and your father leave, we are too."

"Our house?" I asked hopefully.

"Our house," he affirmed. "I think we could use some time with Cal alone before he goes to sleep, don't you? At the rate he's growing, I want to spend as much time with him as I can."

"We're getting screwed out of his childhood," I nearly whined.

"So we'll just make up for it by taking a lot of pictures and being there for him," he replied. "It's the best we can do."

He was right. As always. "Well, Alice already got a head start on the picture taking."

He dropped his hands to mine. "Come on, let's go see what new trick he's learned in the last few minutes."

I laughed, determined to embrace Cal's accelerated quirks. "Maybe he's crawling now."

Edward leaned down to kiss me. "Or talking."

"God, I hope not."

He grinned crookedly. "So do I, love. So do I."


	13. Chapter 13

**As usual, thanks for the reviews and adds for this little fic. And thanks to Stratan for being his generally awesome self. **

**I posted my oneshot over the weekend, Come Fly With Me, that was submitted to the Love Is In The Air Contest. It won 1st place in the public vote and 2nd place in the judge's vote (I say this with a squeal). Go check it out if you're interested... I'd post the link, but it's probably easier just to pull it up from my profile since FFn is ridiculous about them.  
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Chapter 13

**Edward**

"Caleb!" Bella called out across the room. She was on all fours, mimicking Cal's position and trying to entice him to crawl over to her. "Come here, baby."

He grinned but didn't move.

She glanced up at me. "You think he isn't ready? Maybe we misjudged it."

I shrugged a shoulder.

"Edward, Come on! Help me out!" she laughed.

"Okay, okay." I tapped into Cal's mind, and then laughed myself. "He thinks you're funny on the ground like that."

Her head whipped back over in his direction, sending her long brown hair down over her shoulders. "Well, I look like you do. So you must think you're pretty funny too, huh?"

Caleb giggled, a sound that made both Bella and I smile at each other every single time since it was still—literally—so new. He'd been sitting on the floor with Jacob after his bath last night, watching him nimbly throw a basketball into the air, when Emmett flew by and snatched it out of his grasp.

He'd then shocked us all when he abruptly burst into a fit of giggles at Jacob's reaction, laughing so hard his cheeks reddened and he lost his breath.

Being a father, so far, was better than I'd ever anticipated.

"Stop playing around and go to your mother," I instructed Caleb with a grin. "She's waiting on you."

He pursed his little lips and stared at Bella. He tilted his head to the side as he debated it, and then he shocked us all again. Instead of crawling over to her, he reared back and stood up to take a wobbly step. He paused for a moment and smiled over at me before taking off across the tiny room in our cottage.

Alice snapped as many pictures as the camera would allow.

"Holy…" Emmett trailed off, cautious of Caleb listening in.

Bella popped up off the floor and took Cal into her arms the second he was close enough. We exchanged a quick look before I started clapping and Bella kissed his cheek.

"Way to go, sweetie," she praised, beaming down at him. "Can you walk over to Daddy now?"

He put his hand up to her neck and said _yes_.

"Then let's see it."

She sat him down and chewed on her lip as he made his way over to me. I scooped him up and watched him yawn as he put his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, it's been a long morning. Let's take a nap, okay?"

He nodded once and relaxed further against me.

I laid him down and handed him a book to flip through, something that had become a part of his daily routine. He'd check out the pictures before he finally went down for a nap, and when he went to sleep at night, he'd listen to Bella murmur a chapter at a time of the book of his choosing, too smart for children's books, until his eyes slipped closed and he couldn't soak up any more.

We were only a few days away from what Emmett was referring to as V-Day now—which was possibly the cheesiest nickname for the battle he could have come up with, but none of us paid him any mind. Each day, Cal grew stronger, bigger, and smarter. And each day, fear rose up further in my chest at the thought of losing him. One wrong move and he could…

With a grimace, I pushed everything out of my mind and left Caleb to his book. I found Bella in the kitchen putting a few of his bottles in the cabinet above the sink and wrapped my arms around her waist, needing just a moment of peace with her while we waited for Caleb to fall asleep and got back to strategizing. It seemed like it was all we did while he slept, wanting to keep him as unaware of the danger as possible. But with such a short amount of time left, we all wanted to make sure we were prepared. Overly so.

"He's walking," Bella sighed. She stopped assembling the bottle and put her hands on the edge of the sink. "He skipped crawling completely and started walking."

"Human babies sometimes do that, too," Alice chimed in, earning a pointed glare from Jasper in return. "Oh. Sorry. Forget I said it. We're not here."

Bella giggled under her breath.

"She's right, though," I whispered in her ear. "It's not too uncommon."

"He's not even two weeks old." She turned around and buried her face in my chest. "I don't know if I can keep trying to be okay with how fast this is all going."

"He's slowing down," I replied. "Every day, his growth rate is always a little slower than the day before."

"I know. It's the one thing that's keeping me from crying when he does something so advanced like this. Because it can't last forever. Eventually, he'll run out of milestones, right?"

"Right." I pushed her hair back off her shoulders and kissed her neck, breathing her in before I left her to finish.

I spoke to Alice and Jasper while waiting for Cal to fall completely asleep. The second he did, I was working to get the rest of our family here for a meeting.

I made a quick phone call to Carlisle and by the time I was finished talking to Jacob, he, Esme, and Rosalie were all quickly taking their places in the already crowded living room. In no time at all, Jacob, Paul, and Sam had joined us, taking an open spot by the door while I went to Bella's side.

"So," Jasper started, pulling out a topographical map of Forks, "Alice says that she catches glimpses of us fighting Victoria and her newborns in the valley just below this mountain."

He circled an area on the map with his index finger then continued.

"I scouted out the area. There's a break in the mountain a few miles up. It's well hidden and is probably the best place for Bella to stay with Cal while still being near enough for one of us to be able to get to them quickly if something goes… wrong." He sensed that Bella wanted to protest, so he hurried with the next part. "You're not safe here. Victoria knows where we live and she can track this cabin easily from there. Not only that, but it's too close to town. The whole purpose of taking the fight out to the mountains was to spare any unnecessary human casualties."

She huffed and nodded. "So I'm staying behind?"

"I think it's best if you let the pack and us take care of the newborns and stay with Cal and a… guard of sorts."

"Edward?"

"I was thinking more like Jacob."

"What the hell?" Jacob objected. "Why do I have to sit this out?"

"She's your sister," Sam said, giving him a look like it was obvious.

"So? She's more than capable of laying waste to any vampire who happens to find her. Besides, won't they be able to track her there too?"

"I've thought about that," Jasper responded. "And I have an easy solution, as long as Carlisle says it's all right."

"Which is?" Carlisle asked.

"She phases and takes Cal up to the site that way. He's strong enough to stay on her back the entire way there and none of Victoria's army has been able to recognize her scent in wolf form. It would also… mask Cal's scent as well."

Because he smelled like a mixture of the two of us, just enough non-human to not pose as food but intriguing enough that they would follow his scent if they caught it. If Bella smelled like the rest of the pack did to me, no vampire in their right mind would go anywhere near it.

Jasper's logic was nearly infallible.

"I like that," I told him. "A lot. It gives Cal one more layer of protection. I'd like to test it out, though, just to be safe."

Jasper smiled. "Exactly what I was thinking. Maybe the day before," he glanced over at Carlisle, "if it's going to be possible."

"I don't see why it shouldn't," Carlisle replied thoughtfully. "It gives her body a few more days to recuperate before she does. You feel up to it, Bella?"

"Yeah, I do, actually. I'm not really sore anymore, to be honest. Just a little tired since Cal doesn't sleep through the night yet. It might be nice to… stretch my wolf muscles again. Even if it's only to run up a mountain with the baby on my back."

"So I'm hanging out with Bella and Cal during the fight?" Jacob asked Jasper.

"Yes. There needs to be a link between the two groups at all times. If you're phased and standing guard, it allows you to communicate with another phased member of the pack back here and vise versa. Just as a precaution. Alice is fairly sure about the timeframe, but that could alter any time before then. Victoria's been extremely good about changing her mind during this whole time."

Kept us from knowing her plan.

"Bella can phase and do that," Jacob argued.

"But I can't really tend to Cal like that, Jake," she said with a small smile.

"Damn."

"I'm staying with her too," I suddenly said. "I don't think I can leave them alone for a second. I just… I won't be able to concentrate and-"

"It's too dangerous," Jasper finished. "I understand. There's no point in getting yourself killed."

"Wait, you're just going to stay on the mountain and leave the rest of us to fight for your mate?" Paul sneered. "Seems like you'd want to get a piece of the action, what, with vamps being so hell bent for revenge and all."

"Edward's situation is not like ours. Not only is there a child in the picture, no matter how supremely gifted Bella might be because of her heritage, the fact is that she's still recovering from Cal's birth. Knowing she may not be at full strength will play right into Victoria's hands. It's not worth the risk."

"No," I agreed. "It's not."

Paul grumbled, "I don't see you or your other _family_ members doing this."

"Let's say the tables were turned and it was Rachel and your newborn child in danger. Would your head be in the game?" Jasper asked. "Or would you be so worried that maybe—just maybe—one of those 'vamps' knew where she was hiding and was heading that way now. One split second of doubt gives your opponent the advantage. The next thing you know, you're lying flat on your back, being ripped apart. There is no more protecting your mate. Ever. I've seen it in every battle I've fought, Paul. I don't question it."

He didn't bother waiting for Paul to respond before continuing where we'd left off.

"So you, Bella, and Cal will stay up at the campsite with Jacob while we stay below and fight," he said to me. "You can come up the other side of the mountain with the supplies so that none of the newborns catch your scent either. If someone happens to, manages to breach our line, and finds you four, it would give yet another line of protection for her and Cal."

"Okay," Bella breathed. "This sounds great and all, Jazz, but what about our numbers versus theirs?"

"Where are we at?" Jasper asked Alice.

Alice gazed blankly at the wall as she tried to see just how many vampires Victoria had in her army now. "Twenty." A vision of two vampires crashing into a nearby car and trying to rip each other to shreds flashed through her mind. "No, nineteen."

"We're too few," I mumbled, frowning over at Bella.

"Not necessarily," Sam interjected. "We've had a few new phases this last week with the impending threat. It brings our numbers up to sixteen without Edward or Bella in the fight. And given that we're still a few days out, the gap could still close."

Bella gaped in shock. "Who?"

"Quil, Embry, both Clearwater kids, Colin, and Brady."

"Leah's a wolf?"

"Yeah, she's pissed," he said with a sad smile. "But when isn't she these days?"

"Sam, please don't-"

He waved her off. "Just make sure you help her deal with it a little when this is all over, okay? That's all I really need from you."

She nodded mutely.

I put my arm around her, knowing how hard she was going to have it with Leah. "I'm not going to let you deal with her alone. I'll go with you," I offered under my breath.

"Oh, you have no idea how much I love you for that," she whispered back.

I chuckled. "I love you too."

"Okay, so where are we at on our timeline?" Jasper asked Alice. "Still the same?"

She nodded blankly as a vision of the clearing, blanketed in snow, filled her mind. "She'll come as soon as the snow has finished falling. From what I've seen and the most recent weather forecast, we should have three more days."

Bella let out a sharp breath. "Not a lot of time left."

"No," I agreed.

"Got a specific time on their arrival yet, babe?" Jasper pressed. "We need all the advantages we can get."

"Not from Victoria," she said with a wry smile. "She's continued to refrain from making any clear decisions, but according to the local meteorologists, snow fall will stop at about noon. That lines up with my visions."

His responding grin was just as wry. "Good. We'll be waiting."

We spoke a little more about what needed to be done the day before Victoria's arrival, all of us wanting to make sure that we left nothing unattended to. Then, we scheduled a hunting rotation and one last training session with the pack in two days. It was probably the only time we'd have a practice round with any of the new wolves before Victoria's arrival.

And as leery as I was with that, I knew there wasn't any other option. We'd just have to make it work to our advantage.

If we could.

* * *

Everyone stood around and watched the fight between the wolf and the vampire. They each moved so fast and with such aggression that even with our supernatural eyes, we had the potential to miss a move. Flashes of dark brown fur and pale skin were sometimes all we could see as they twisted and turned and fought against each other's hold. There were seconds where time seemed to stop as I watched the wolf being maneuvered to the ground, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually taken in a breath or even glanced away.

For a moment, it seemed like Bella was beaten, but suddenly it was clear that she was merely feigning. Rosalie clearly assumed she had the advantage and went in for the 'kill', but Bella was ready. She shifted her body out of the way, and using Rosalie's momentum against her, Bella abruptly and violently turned them. Bella ended up in a dominant position, mounted on top of Rosalie. With a short lunge and a snap of teeth, she pinned Rosalie to the ground, her mouth hovering over Rosalie's neck, signifying her win.

It all happened in a blink of an eye. It was so instinctual, but also very controlled. It was as if Bella simply made the decision to end the fight, and then did it. The move was a perfect counter – and exactly the type of attack that a wolf could use to easily defeat a vampire, especially a newborn.

Rosalie glared up at her and blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Incredible," I whispered, finally dragging in enough air to speak. "Absolutely incredible."

Jacob popped his gum and shifted Cal in his arms. "She's good, huh? This kid doesn't have anything to worry about with her as his mom."

I gave Jacob an annoyed look. Caleb knew only part of what was happening here. He knew that we were expecting more vampires in the next couple of days and were honing our skills since they weren't like us and drank from humans, rather than animals. But that was the extent of it. He thought these preparations were all precautionary.

That is, if his uncle would bother keeping his mouth shut, he would.

"Sorry." He flashed me a sheepish grin. "Who's she up against next?"

"No one," I murmured, listening to Bella pant in the center of the crowd. "She's going to rest."

"What? She's finding her stride!"

"She can't be injured for the fight. Everyone's agreed it would be better for her to take it easy tonight. Including Bella."

He rolled his eyes and stared down at Cal. "Your mom's being stupid. She could go for days and still be stronger than the rest of us."

Caleb squirmed in Jacob's arms and cried out when he couldn't wiggle himself free.

"What's he want?"

"Bella."

"Oh. Well, why didn't you just say so?" he asked Cal. "I know you can."

"Don't rush him. It's the one thing he hasn't started doing yet," I retorted in a short tone.

Jacob's eyes widened with my harsh tone and he let Caleb down. "Stressed much?"

I dragged my hands through my hair. "Yeah," I admitted. "A little."

Caleb scurried over to where Bella's huge form stood, running as quickly as his little feet would let him. He jumped up when he got almost to her and with the indescribable explosion that I was finally beginning to get used to, he phased, becoming a little, bronze colored pup in the moonlight.

A collective gasp of shock echoed throughout the clearing.

Bella yelped just as I frantically raced over to him and grabbed him up before he could tackle her. I wanted to physically examine him while looking into his mind. I knew how hard Bella's first phase was on her and was panicked that our son had suffered the same fate.

But his dark green eyes were full of mirth and his thoughts were… excited. His phase was instinctual, painless, and skillfully executed, as if he were an experienced member of the pack. Only like Bella, he was unique in his phase. He hadn't had to learn his body and teach himself how to do it after the proper instruction. He simply did it.

"He's fine," I breathed in relief. "He's fine."

Bella phased beside me, scooped up her t-shirt up and jeans off the ground beside us, and quickly threw them on. "Can he phase back?"

Cal nodded and let his tongue loll out to the side playfully. He pushed off my lap and scampered around, much more agile in this form than he was in his other. In wolf form, he was about the size of an average golden retriever, and just as busy. He raced around his family members, barking excitedly up at them before darting away and moving to the next person.

"Oh, my God." Bella's fingers touched her lips as she watched Caleb run around. "This is…"

"Unprecedented," Carlisle finished.

"How so?" Bella asked him.

"You've passed the gene to your son," he explained, "It always been assumed that it's the male tribe member who passes the wolf gene on, like with your birth. Cal proves this otherwise."

"Oh." Bella frowned. "I guess I knew it was always a possibility, but I just… I didn't expect it so soon or maybe even ever. I don't know. There're a lot of… _variables_ that come with having him as my son. I'll never really know what to expect."

Carlisle nodded, completely understanding of what she was saying. Cal's development and potential nearly confounded us all. "As I said, unprecedented. In every way."

Jacob snorted and ripped his shirt off, intent on phasing and playing around with Caleb for a little while. "It's fucking cool, Doc. He takes after his mom."

I shot Jacob a dirty look for his language, but Carlisle was amused and Cal was too busy playing to notice.

"That he does," Carlisle chuckled.

"And now Bella doesn't have to carry him up that mountain tomorrow. He can just run with her. That'll help even more. The scent of two wolves traveling up the mountain? No vampire will think anything of it."

I fervently hoped he was right.

A shimmer went through the air beside me, and Jacob's russet colored form was winding his way through the line of other pack members, slowly stalking Cal.

"Oh, my God," Bella repeated with a laugh as Caleb snapped up at his uncle and jumped away from him. He slid in the damp underbrush as he scrambled to turn around and start back toward Jacob again. "He's so fast already."

"Look at his breeding, love," I answered playfully. "Would you expect anything less?"

"Well, we are pretty fast," she agreed with a smile. "Maybe even the fastest."

I simply grinned back at her before focusing on Cal again. I couldn't help but wonder if one day _he'd_ be the fastest.

"What are we going to do?" she asked after awhile, suddenly serious. "How can we keep him from doing this whenever he wants? When he's around humans? I mean, I know he's smart—_very_ smart—but does he know that this has to be controlled like his thirst? Can he handle both of those together? God, what if-?"

"Bella," I put my arm around her so that her body was flush with mine as Carlisle spoke to her, "the control he has over his thirst is astounding. This is going to be exactly the same."

"How do you know?" Her eyes darted back over to our son and she chewed on her lip anxiously. "Just how do you know, Carlisle?"

"This phase was done on a whim. He didn't need the build up to prepare his body or the threat of danger to do it. He wanted to, so he did. It's characteristic of everything he's done so far. He might be physically bigger than his age and appear more like a human baby almost at a year old, but developmentally and intellectually, he's even farther along."

"Like a child already," she sighed.

"Exactly. He has complete control over everything he does. It stands to reason that if he has complete control over this first phase like everything else so far, it'll never be an issue, no matter how emotional he may be at any one specific time. He'll only get better with time, if he even needs improvement at all."

"Paul could learn a lot from him," she giggled under her breath.

Paul quickly phased back from his wolf form in order to defend himself. "I'm not taking pointers from a baby," he snarled over at her. "Besides, there's no way he knows what he's doing already. None of us did when we first phased. Not even you, Bella."

With a huge yawn, Caleb stopped running around and glanced over at Paul. He phased back to his usual form and spoke for the first time in a perfectly clear voice, like he'd been holding it in for days. "But I do."

"We know you do, baby," Bella said back, clinging to me. Every time he hit another milestone, she had to fight her initial response to burst into tears and give him the praise he craved. His first words were no different. "You did really, really well, Cal. Better than me or even Uncle Jacob."

"Paul have control too, if he stay calm, Mommy," he continued.

"I know," she agreed. "He needs to just stay calm, doesn't he?"

He blinked once, unable to keep his eyes open anymore and slowly came back over to where Bella and I were standing. "Daddy, I tired. Go home?"

I pressed a kiss to Bella's hair and bent down to pick him up. He settled himself on my chest and let out a long sigh of contentment. "I think we can go home in just a few minutes, bud."

"Kay," he mumbled sleepily.

Jasper cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "One last round for the new members of the pack and we'll call it a night."

There were a couple of tired, wolfy grumbles, but everyone immediately took position in the center of the clearing. A silent command from Sam was given, and they all began fighting members of my family. My family used brute strength, much like the newborns would, to defend themselves and help the wolves understand how the fight would likely go. Some of the wolves took Jasper's direction and pinned their opposition immediately. Others still went in for the obvious attack, their instincts getting the best of them, and were defeated instead.

Sam gave the command to stop, and all of the wolves immediately froze.

Leah jumped up from the ground, pushing Emmett out of the way and phased with a snarl. "God damn it," she cursed in frustration. "I can do this. Let me go again."

She was panting heavily and had a large gash across her cheek. Sam took one look at her and shook his giant, black head.

"What the-?" she shouted, swiping at the blood on her face. "Why the hell not? Because of one little cut?"

"You're tired," Jasper interjected. "You can't do any better in this condition. Trust me."

She turned toward him to argue, shaking violently.

Sam growled in warning, and her mouth clamped shut with the Alpha command.

"And you're letting your emotions cloud your judgment. You're angry and frustrated with yourself and this entire situation. To get out of this alive, you have to keep your wits and stay rational. You're anything but." A wave of calm emanated from Jasper, and Leah's shudders stopped.

"Go home, eat, and sleep. We'll see you the day of the battle."

Leah didn't budge. Her eyes flickered over to her brother. "Seth, go home. I'll be there in a little bit. I'm going to practice some more."

Jasper flashed in front of her and bared his teeth, causing all of us to still in shock. "That wasn't a request, wolf; that was an order. You want to win this battle? You want to live? Stop acting like you'll defeat the newborns on your own. You can't do it without us. You try, and you'll get one of us hurt or worse. The best thing you can do for yourself is to act like you're only one part of the whole and _listen_."

Jasper straightened up and glanced around. "Meeting's over. Bella, Edward, I'll meet you just outside the house tomorrow to test out our theory."

I nodded once.

Bella let out a low whistle as Leah stalked off and turned toward me. "And Sam thinks I can deal with that?" she whispered incredulously.

"You can handle it." I heard a small snore from Cal and grinned. "He's out."

She reached up and ran her hand through his hair gently. "Like a light. Think he'll wake up when you put him down?"

"Not a chance. He wore himself out tonight."

She laughed lightly. "It was pretty cute. Who'd have thought we'd have a little wolf on our hands?"

I bent down to kiss her, careful not to wake Caleb. "Let's get him home. He has a long night ahead of him tomorrow up at the campsite."

She exhaled sharply and nodded. "We all do."

* * *

"I've been thinking," Bella mentioned casually as we headed toward the main house with Cal, on our way to meet up with Jasper, "about Dartmouth."

My brows shot up in surprise. With everything happening right now—Caleb, the wedding, Victoria and her newborns—Dartmouth had been pushed back… indefinitely. "What about it?"

"When do you think we can go? I mean, obviously not now, but in a couple of years? If we survive, that is," she joked.

"We'll survive," I said adamantly, glowering over at her.

She reached out with her free hand and took my own. "I think so too."

"You do?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes, I do. We have the unexpected on our side: the pack." She shifted Cal on her hip. "So what do you think?"

"About Dartmouth?"

"About Dartmouth," she replied with a nod.

I frowned in thought. "Given Caleb's growth rate, I don't think we'll have to wait too long before he appears like an average, human child. Maybe even by next year. We could tell the university we've decided to do something common… like backpack through Europe for a year."

"But who would watch him while we were in class? I can't expect your family to just up and leave their lives here."

At this, Caleb pushed his hand against Bella's cheek and sent an image of Jacob's face into Bella's mind.

She laughed. "I don't know, sweetie. He's got Billy to take care of," she answered gently.

He looked mildly irritated with that answer.

"Why wouldn't you think they'd pick up and leave?" I continued. "We do it all the time. We move from place to place when people begin to question things too closely. It's nothing new."

"But-"

"Bella, you know this," I interrupted. "It was even something I said when…"

"I know." She smiled weakly. "But all of them moving with us? Isn't that a little… over the top?"

"Maybe," I conceded. "But with Cal here now, I don't think any of them would be happy with us leaving them. They'll _want_ to come with us."

She brought Caleb closer to her body. His head instantly dropped to her shoulder. "You're probably right."

"When things have settled down, we'll discuss it with them. _All_ of them, including Jacob."

"Okay, that sounds good." She let out a long breath. "Even though I think we'll all make it out of this, I'm still a little nervous now that it's so close."

I squeezed her hand once. "There'd be something wrong with you if you weren't," I responded.

We were quiet again until we met up with Jasper at the river. Bella passed Caleb over to me and took off her clothes—while Jasper casually looked away—and phased so that we could reach the spot Jasper wanted to start from faster. I wordlessly picked her clothes up off the ground, and then we raced toward the mountains, not slowing until we reached a small stream just to the north of our property.

Jasper squared his shoulders and turned toward us. "Okay, Cal, you need to phase and run with your mom that way," he instructed, pointing in the direction of the still untouched clearing. "She's going to lead you to a meadow, and then right back here."

"Okay, Uncle Jas."

"Your dad and I will wait right here; you'll never be out of his hearing range, okay? When you guys come back, I'll follow your trail and see if I catch just your wolf scent or not."

"Why?" Caleb asked.

"You're going to camp with Mom, Dad, and Uncle Jacob," Jasper said enthusiastically, glancing over at me. _Can I manipulate him a little?_

I nodded immediately.

Jasper pushed a feeling of trust onto Caleb as he spoke in order to keep him from asking anything else. "We thought you might like it. Do you?"

Cal grinned and nodded excitedly.

I put Cal down and helped him undress quickly. He closed his eyes for a split second, and then phased. He shook his fur out in annoyance, causing me to laugh lightly, before he trotted over to Bella's side and waited for her to start away from us.

I anxiously watched them race away through Cal's mind the entire time. I saw every fallen tree and every animal that scurried away with the sound of their paws pounding at the ground. They slowly gained speed; Bella let Caleb dictate the pace, until they reached the clearing and made a quick circle back around.

"They're okay?" Jasper asked, feeling my nervousness.

I nodded tersely. "Heading back now."

I didn't relax until I had them in my line of sight again. Jasper didn't wait for them to reach us and started tracking their trail immediately, quickly vanishing from sight in the exact place that Bella and Cal had just come from.

They both phased when Jasper was gone, and I dutifully handed Bella her clothes before helping Caleb put his back on.

Bella slipped her shirt over her head and glanced off in the distance as she slid her wedding ring back on her finger. "Think it worked?"

I reached out with my mind to see Jasper already heading back this way. "Seems to."

"Seriously?" she asked in disbelief.

I nodded in the direction that Jasper was quickly closing the distance in. "See for yourself, love."

Jasper reappeared in no time, beaming as he approached us. "It worked. I didn't smell anything other than wolf. They won't be desensitized to it like I am and will get as far away from it as they can."

"That's great! So now what?" Bella asked.

"We head back to the house and get everything packed. Although, I bet Alice has most of that done for us," he mused. "Edward will take all the equipment up one side of the mountain, and you'll go up the other with Cal. I believe Jacob will be there a few hours after you."

"Why?"

"Sam wanted to have one last pack meeting before he left."

"Oh, right. I knew that." She gave him a watery smile. "I'm a little scatterbrained today. And no, that is not an invitation to mess with my feelings," she hurried.

Jasper laughed. "I wouldn't dare to do such a thing to you."

"Hmm." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll hold you to that."

We got back to the main house to find Alice flittering around as she packed up all the superfluous camping equipment we had on hand, just as Jasper had anticipated.

"I never thought we'd actually use this stuff," she said when we walked in the door.

"Neither did I," I replied.

"Esme and Rosalie are in the kitchen getting things together for Bella, Jacob, and Caleb to eat while you're gone."

"Rosalie?" Bella hissed under her breath as she put Cal down so he could play. "She's not poisoning it, is she?"

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed in shock, her eyes darting over to me.

I simply shrugged. I might have been sure of Rosalie's intentions now, but Bella was not. Her comment further went to prove that fact.

"What?" she asked, straightening up and putting her hands on her hips defensively. "It's a legitimate question, given the circumstances, Alice."

Alice waved her hands in front of her face. "Never mind. We can discuss that later. We don't have time now."

"There's nothing to discuss," Bella argued. "She knows how I feel and even understands it."

"Be that as it may," Alice said pointedly, "making jokes about that kind of thing is not funny at all. _Given the circumstances_."

"Okay, okay," Bella relented. "I get your point. I won't say it again."

"Thank you." Alice threw a bag at my face. "The rest of it's in the garage waiting for you. As soon as Esme's done with the food, you three can get going."

She abruptly wrapped her arms around the two of us. "I'll see you when you get back," she whispered.

"Hey," Bella said lowly, "you okay?"

"Fine," Alice laughed. "Just being sentimental."

"You're sure?"

Alice pushed away from us. "I'm sure." She twisted around and faced Caleb. "I'll see you tomorrow, little guy. Have fun camping."

He reached up for her with a grin. The second he was in Alice's arms, he asked, "I have bed?"

"No, you have a sleeping bag. It's a blanket you sleep inside on the ground. Like a cocoon." She was met with confusion. "You'll see when you get there. Maybe you can help Dad set it up?"

Cal's eyes were bright with excitement when he faced me. "Oh, yeah. I can use all the help I can get," I told him with a grin.

Bella giggled when Caleb clapped happily.

After I had everything we'd need in hand, we said our goodbyes and started toward the river.

"You hurry up," I told her when we reached the place we were separating at, "and I'll set up camp when I get there."

"Where are you going, exactly?" Bella asked curiously.

"I'm going to follow one of our recent hunting trails around the property. It goes in the opposite direction and branches off at the base of the mountain on the other side of the forest. That way, my scent will be as far away from yours and Cal's as possible. It's a little shorter distance than the way you're taking."

"And Cal's not as fast as we are."

"Right. So I'll have a little while to wait." I pulled her into my arms, letting my hands skim up under her shirt and over the bare skin of her back for a moment before pulling them back out moving to a more appropriate spot on her shoulders. "Be safe. Please, be safe."

"I will," she promised. "You be safe, too."

"Always." I kissed her once, letting my lips linger against hers for a moment before ducking down to speak to Cal.

"You stay with your mom the whole way," I told him, reaching out and pushing some of his hair back. It was exactly like mine: unruly with a mind of its own. "You need a haircut," I chuckled. "We can do that when we get back."

His face lit up. "Like Uncle Em?"

"Uh, no," Bella interjected. "How about just a little shorter version of what you have now."

Her frowned but didn't argue back.

"I'll see you in a couple hours, okay?"

"We have S'mores tonight with Uncle Jacob?"

I chuckled again. "Yeah. We can have S'mores tonight. I'll make sure Uncle Jacob sets up the fire for you."

I wasn't getting near one.

He danced around happily. "Kay. Bye, Daddy."

I smiled. "Bye, buddy."

Bella helped Cal get undressed, and he quickly phased. He ran a few laps around us, causing us to laugh.

Bella then got undressed herself and phased. I took their clothes and stuffed them in the duffle bag Alice had handed me before slipping her wedding ring onto my pinkie for safekeeping.

She leaned into my outstretched hand, and gave me one last look that conveyed everything that we were both feeling. Our moment came to an abrupt end by a tiny growl from our wolf pup of a son that clearly conveyed _let's go!_

Bella huffed out a laugh, and I couldn't help a smile at my son's antics. With that, my reasons for existence turned around and began trotting away toward the campsite.


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter's really short compared to everything else, and I apologize for that. However, Stratan and I wanted to get something out to you guys because our real lives are kicking our fic lives' asses. Chapter 15 will be out ASAP, though. We have it brainstormed, and I have some time to get it written this next week. So it won't be long before you get what was intended to be the rest of 14.**

**Thanks to Stratan for telling me my idea here did not suck, and for his idea of posting it early. Thanks to Claireoth for prereading this. Love you both :)**

* * *

Chapter 14

**Bella**

The fire jumped and crackled at the edge of our campsite, sending bright orange embers up into the black night sky. The moon was nowhere in sight; stars were just as well hidden beneath the dense cloud cover above us. Snow would start falling soon, initiating the countdown to Victoria and her newborns' arrival.

Although, if I was being completely honest with myself, I'd been counting down for days now.

Cal's laughter rang out in the air, and I let my eyes travel back downward where he sat with Jacob. He raptly watched his uncle pull the marshmallow out of the flame and let it burn for just a moment before blowing the fire out and placing it on the partially set up s'more he had waiting for Cal.

Once it had cooled, Jacob broke off a small piece and gave it to Cal, watching for his approval with a smile twitching at his lips. After all, what kid didn't love sugar?

Caleb's dark green eyes widened, and he grinned widely up at Jacob just before reaching out for the s'more, which was quickly jerked away from him.

"Ah, just a little at a time," Jacob said when Cal's face fell. "Can't have you choking. Your mom… and your dad would kick my ass."

I cleared my throat to make him aware of his blunder.

"I mean butt." He somehow managed to scrub at his face without dropping the baby or the s'more. "God, that's hard."

"If you didn't have such a foul mouth, it wouldn't be," I shot back with a grin.

"Maybe."

"I hear from Emmett all the time, Mama," Caleb chimed in.

I blinked. "What? Emmett says bad words in front of you?"

He nodded innocently.

Looked like I was kicking Emmett's ass as soon as we got back home instead…

I focused on Caleb again. "Well, he shouldn't," I replied vaguely.

"Daddy told him."

That had me smiling again. "I'm sure he did."

Jacob handed Caleb another piece of the s'more, causing him to quiet down immediately. I watched the two of them together from my spot next to the tent, thinking how unbelievably lucky I was. And that if anything happened to either of them or Edward, who was currently circling the camp to make sure nothing unwanted was near… I wasn't sure how I'd be able to navigate through that kind of pain.

Suddenly, "dying" for someone didn't seem so dramatic to me. I'd do anything to keep them—and maybe even the rest of the Cullens and the pack—safe. They were my family, my life. The thought of not hearing any one of their voices or laughter stole my breath. They had to exist, every last one of them.

Including Rosalie.

It was strange to think of it that way, given how I felt about her, but it made it no less true. She was an integral part of the Cullen family, even when she was in Alaska. And I would never be able to bear watching Emmett suffer through the loss if something were to happen to her.

I suddenly had to urge to do _something_; to keep everyone safe, if I could. If I were to sneak down to the battle site, I could help, rather than sit on this mountain feeling totally useless. But I'd need to figure out how to get past both Edward and Jacob, which was near impossible. Though, maybe it wasn't. Something as simple as a bathroom break could work; I was fast enough that neither Edward nor Jacob could catch up with me until it was too late…

"Stop whatever it is you're planning," Edward whispered in my ear.

I leaned back against his hard body and sighed heavily, a little annoyed that I'd been caught so soon. "I thought you couldn't read my mind."

"But I've gotten very good at reading your expressions, your eyes. Besides," he continued, pulling me tighter against him, "I know you."

"So I guess everything's all clear?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

He didn't take the bait. "I'm not kidding, Bella. Nothing you can do will make this situation any better. In fact, it might make it worse. You showing up unannounced like that and surprising everyone? It's just what Victoria and her newborns need to gain the advantage. You heard Jasper. Staying here to keep Cal safe is the best thing you can do for everyone else. Especially me."

I groaned but nodded my acquiescence. "I just feel so…"

"Helpless," he finished for me. "I know."

I twisted around to face him. "Yeah?"

He bent down to brush his lips against mine. The contact was brief and light, but the emotion it caused to well in my chest was strong and heavy. Grief, I finally realized. And fear. I was terrified of losing this life I'd finally grown to love.

"I want nothing more than to kill them all for threatening you and Caleb. But realistically? I'd be so wrapped up in wondering if you two were still safe or if our line had been breached, that I'd be the one hurt. Or worse."

I couldn't stand the thought of that—or any of this, really—so I threaded my fingers through his hair and kissed him again. His hands gripped onto my shirt at the small of my back, rending the fabric slightly, and a low groan rumbled in his chest as my body slowly inched closer to his. I could feel him tense and tighten underneath me as he struggled to hold perfectly still.

Abruptly, he pulled away, panting heavily as he stared back at me. His face was barely visible in the light of the fire, but I was all too familiar with the strain of control in his jaw… his muscles.

"When do you think this is actually… feasible?"

"Whenever," I replied almost flippantly. "I feel fine."

He moaned but managed to work his body even further away from mine. Not that being a wolf really gave me any advantage when we were like this. I was stronger, yes, but I was still no match for him in my human form.

I instantly deflated. There would be no sneaking off into the woods for some much needed time alone.

"There are still a few logistics we need to work through before we can…" He trailed off and waited for me to decipher his meaning.

It didn't take long. "Cal."

"Exactly. With everything else going on, we've not really had the time to find out if it could happen again. And as much as I love having him, we should still be responsible, don't you think?"

"Well, crap."

He laughed loudly and let me work my way back into his arms again. "I hate that I'm right."

"So do I," I muttered, making him laugh a little more.

"He's asleep," Jacob announced from behind me.

Edward started to push me off of him. "I'll get him."

"Nah," Jacob said, waving Edward off. "I got it. You two just keep making out over there. Don't mind me."

"Jealous?" I teased.

"A little," he admitted as he scooped Cal up in his arms. "It'd be nice to have what you two do. But I… No one in the tribe interests me."

"Jake, I'm sure you just haven't met her yet."

I could barely make out the roll of his dark eyes from where I sat. "Save the pity, Bells. It's cool. I have plenty to distract me right now."

"But I-"

"Bella," he laughed. "Enough. I'll make sure Cal's settled before I phase. I'll be just past that line of trees if you need anything."

"You don't have to sleep outside," I protested.

"Yes, I do. Pack orders." When met with my dumbfounded expression he continued, "Just in case."

"Oh. Right." Where was my brain these days? It was like every neuron had stopped firing lately.

Jacob slipped inside the tent to lay Caleb down and came out just a few seconds later. He silently headed into the forest and left me alone with Edward.

Which was both a good thing… and a bad thing, all at once.

"Would _you_ like a distraction?" Edward finally murmured, tracing the base of my neck with his fingers.

I gave him a puzzled look. "A distraction?"

He nodded, his eyes heavy. "You remember what happens when we're alone in the woods."

How could I not?

He leaned down and pressed a kiss against my neck, directly over my now leaping pulse. "So we should have some sort of distraction, don't you think?"

"Which would be?" I asked shakily.

"I've spoken to Carlisle about what Cal's story should be."

My brows shot up, and my eyes darted over to the tent. "He's really asleep?"

"He's asleep. But even so, he'll need to know this eventually, love," he said as he straightened up.

"What'd Carlisle say?"

"Well, he came up with a great idea… as always," he answered with a crooked smile. "He wants to expand the story of my adoption. Something along the lines of me having a brother who was sent to another family; one I knew nothing about. Of course, the separation and not knowing his whereabouts, not to mention memories of our parent's deaths, would be hard for me, so I'd never want to speak of it."

I giggled at how good he was at this. The faux distress on his face was completely believable. "It'd explain why no one knew until now."

"Precisely. Some awful car accident or equally tragic event happened, and we suddenly found my little brother on our doorstep. And neither of us could, or would, turn him away."

"It's definitely plausible. He looks enough like you that no one would really question it. Especially since you and your family haven't been back long enough for me to get pregnant and have a baby already." I paused for a beat. "So they think."

"So they think. Would Charlie go along with this?"

"I'm sure he would."

"Well, now you have something to tell Renee."

"And anyone else who asks…. Once Cal's stopped growing enough to go out in public, that is. Which probably won't take long," I finished unhappily.

"He's slowing down," he reminded me with a smile. "Every day-"

"Yeah, yeah. Every day he grows a little less than the day before. I got it. Doesn't mean I like it, though."

"I know. For lack of a better description, it sucks."

"That it does."

"Think you could sleep?" he asked quietly.

"Probably not."

"Neither could I," he said wryly.

I laughed and gave him a playful slap to his shoulder, ignoring the sting of my palm as I pulled it away. "How can you make such stupid jokes right now?"

"Because it makes you smile. I'd do anything to make you smile. Always, Bella."

I exhaled loudly and buried my face into the crook of his neck. "Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?"

"For just…" I had no idea how to reiterate what I was feeling. "I don't know. For being you," I finally finished lamely.

He chuckled. "You're welcome."

After a few seconds went by, he felt me yawn against his skin and patted my hip. "Come on. Let's get you to bed. You can at least try to sleep."

"Try being the operative word?" I responded as I got up off of his lap.

"You know it. I'll enjoy watching you toss and turn all night. You might even fall asleep and say a few-"

I shot him a look, instantly cutting off the rest of that sentence.

"Or not. You'd never say anything entertaining in your sleep. Ever," he amended dutifully as he led me into the tent.

I started to laugh to myself, but stopped short as I caught sight of Cal sleeping soundly on the floor of the tent. He was so tiny inside that sleeping bag, so peaceful. My hand came up to rest over my heart, rubbing at the pain that was suddenly so deeply rooted there.

"We have to keep her away from him," I said to Edward urgently. "She'll do anything to make you feel like she does. She'll torture him and make both of us watch. She'll-"

He had me in his arms in an instant. "She's not coming near him, Bella," he said adamantly. Somehow the ferocity of his voice, the snarl that accompanied it, was more soothing than anything else he could have possibly said. "I promise you."

I nodded as Edward gently wiped my face, unaware that I'd been crying. "I'm sorry. I'm on repeat tonight, aren't I? I just keep thinking and saying the same things over and over again."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he replied simply.

I reluctantly extricated myself from him and laid down on the sleeping bag next to Cal, unconcerned with covering up. It was just superfluous at this point, anyway; I no longer felt the chill of the air around us like I once did.

The wind picked up as Edward lay behind me, screaming between the trees outside.

"It's snowing now, isn't it?" I asked quietly.

Edward stretched his arm out so that he was holding onto both Cal and me. "Yeah."

That one little word nearly brought me to tears again, but I quickly compartmentalized everything in order to get through tonight. I needed to keep all those emotions and niggling fears boxed up and in the corner so that I could get some sleep. I needed to be well rested and ready to defend myself and my boys tomorrow.

Just in case.


	15. Chapter 15

**I am only going to say this: I suck, my RL sucks, and I apologize profusely for the lack of updates recently. I cannot tell you how many times I stared at the previously written 300 words before something NOT shiteous came out. And then it was slow going when it did.**

**Thanks to Stratan for the fantabulous pressy - this chapter ;)  
**

* * *

Chapter 15

Bella

It was incredibly bright when Caleb awoke and started crawling all over Edward and me. Too bright for what he and I would typically wake up to at this hour, but then again, this day was anything but typical. Watching him I noticed that he seemed completely oblivious to what was happening. Or maybe he, like Edward, was just better at hiding things than I was. Breakfast was the only thing on his mind, which was further determined by the massive grin that crossed his face when Edward casually mentioned something about going outside to eat.

Caleb in tow, Edward quickly unzipped the tent and—ever chivalrous—motioned for me to get out first. I had to squint against the harsh light as I took that first step outside. White snow covered the dense, dark forest below us; it gathered in the crevices of the rock around us, and it hid any evidence of the fire that had blackened the ground last night. I glanced around and pulled in a deep breath of cool air to steady my nerves. There would be no more strategizing or planning, no more training.

We were out of time.

"This is what Alice saw in her vision," I murmured to Edward as he exited the tent with Caleb.

He nodded solemnly.

Caleb reached out for me, wiggling around in his father's arms until Edward passed him over to me. The second he could, he reached out and touched my face, staring up at me with those gorgeous green eyes of his.

Confusion was all I could get from him.

"It's fine," I lied. "Everything's okay." I cleared my throat and chanced a look at Edward, only to wish I hadn't. His expression was neutral, but there was something in his eyes… Regret, maybe, though I had no idea what he'd be regretting. "Time to get you dressed."

I changed his clothes and tamed his hair before trying to pass him off to Edward for a feeding, but he refused to leave my side. Not that I could blame him, really. Even though I was trying hard to keep everything hidden, I knew Cal was picking up on how anxious and afraid I was. He was half vampire. There was no way he couldn't hear the heavy thumping of my heart as I held him.

Breakfast was silent. Edward seemed to know that I didn't have it in me to keep up with normal chatter as Caleb and I ate, and he was also distracted himself. He scanned the area almost constantly for any sign of a possible threat and listened for what I assumed was Jacob pacing in the woods. Then suddenly, he stopped scanning the trees and zeroed in on one particular spot, inclining his head in acknowledgement before refocusing on Caleb and me.

I gave him a peculiar look, and was answered with a minute shake of his head.

"Edward," I pressed.

"Jacob's over there," he said lowly, pointing to the spot he'd just been staring at. "He'll be heading down the mountain soon to keep closer watch."

I suddenly felt as though I'd been punched in the gut. "How much longer?"

"An hour according to Alice."

"That's…" I swallowed hard. "That's not long."

"No." He glanced around, and then wrapped his arm around me. "Let's take Caleb back inside the tent. I'd feel better not having him out in the open."

_So would I._

I sat Cal down on the sleeping bag and watched him grab for the bag full of puzzles and brain games Edward had bought him a few days ago, saving them for this trip so that he had something to do while we waited. He'd figured out almost every one already, and if my assumptions were right, he'd have the last of them figured out before the battle began.

"So smart," I cooed, running my hand over his head.

Cal smiled up at me and nearly pushed the Rubik's Cube into my face. "You do it, Mama."

There was no way I could focus on solving that thing—not today—so I shook my head and smiled back. "I'd rather watch you."

He concentrated on the cube in his hand for what seemed like only an instant, and then began moving it around. Before I could even see what he'd done, he had it solved.

"Daddy! Look!"

Edward took the cube and tossed it around a little. "Six seconds," he said proudly. "I think that's a record, bud."

Caleb's eyes widened. "I the fastest?"

"You're the fastest," he confirmed.

I looked at Edward curiously.

"Well, the fastest human time on record," he amended softly when Caleb wasn't listening. "No need to tell him a vampire can have it done before a human will even realize they've started."

I grinned at how ecstatic Cal was. "That kind of thing could make you father of the year."

He winked. "That's what I'm going for."

We kept watching Caleb as he sat between us, stealing glances at each other every now and then. I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something wasn't right with our elaborate plan. That Victoria was going to find us. It was ridiculous, and I knew it. She was expecting us to be in that field with the rest of our family.

And she had no idea Cal even existed.

"Distract me," I murmured after a while. "I need something to take my mind off this…"

"Worry," Edward finished for me. "I can hear it with every breath you take and every beat of your heart."

I chewed on my lip and moved my eyes from Caleb, who was now lying on the floor asleep, to him. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm trying-"

He held up a hand and smiled. There was something so sad in his expression. "It's different for us now. As much as I want to be involved… to be a part of the _fun_-"

I rolled my eyes.

"We're parents now," he continued, ignoring me. "Nothing is more important than keeping our son safe."

It was everything I felt rolled up into one, simple sentence. Every human and wolf instinct in me screamed to protect Caleb. Keeping him alive and out of harm's way was all I could think of this morning, because he was the only one of us who couldn't defend himself. He was literally, for all we knew, one of a kind.

"I hate that we can't guarantee a perfect life for him," I told him. It was a generalization of everything I'd thought since the moment I knew Cal was coming into our lives. All of those… _variables_ kept creeping up on us. "Army of newborns or not."

The look he gave me told me that he knew exactly how I felt.

"So… distraction," Edward eventually said, moving over to my side, "seems to be the theme for this camping trip."

I snuggled up to him and laughed softly. He was absolutely right. We'd needed a distraction from each other last night, and now, I was in desperate need of a distraction while we waited. His body was cool and hard as he held me against him—incredibly familiar and soothing.

"It _does_ seem that way. By the time we get back, we'll be masters of deflection."

"We will," he murmured. "Would you like to hear something I thought of a few days ago?"

"What's that?"

"Well," he answered, "all of the best days in my ridiculously long existence have happened since I met you."

I smiled over at him. No, _beamed_ would be the appropriate description of what I was doing that very second. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm. The moment Cal was born, our wedding, the day you told me you loved me... Nothing I thought made me happy before can even compare to the way I felt on those days. You breathed life back into me, Bella. From the second you walked into that classroom-"

"And was nearly killed by some monstrous vampire," I joked.

He threw me a quick, crooked smile. "Well, I didn't say that every moment I've had with you has been good."

I laughed again. "I guess not. I think maybe the worst days in your ridiculously long existence have happened since you met me too."

"I suppose so," he said, amused.

"I also think that we share all of those best and worst moments. Every last one of them. And my life has been incredibly short compared to yours."

He let out a breath and cupped my face. "You're right."

I waited for him to continue, but he said nothing, just stared down at me with this unfathomable expression in his honey colored eyes that made my chest ache with how much I loved him.

"What, no 'I'm sorry'?" I asked when I was sure I could speak again.

He chuckled. "Not verbally, no."

"I guess you really can teach an old dog new tricks."

"You would know," he shot back playfully.

I made a move to slap his shoulder but stopped as soon as I saw him tense beside me. His eyes darted over to Cal, and then with a blink back into reality, he shot up and stood between the direction of the fight below and us.

"They're here," I said, not really needing the confirmation.

He reached behind him and took my hand, now balled up into a tight fist. "It's okay, love. They don't know we're here, and Jasper and Sam have strategy and surprise on their side."

"Okay, that's good. That's really, really good. Because I don't know if I can take worrying about everyone and also having to deal with someone-"

"Bella?" he asked, cutting off my rambling.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to hear the fight?"

"Oh." I blinked. "Sure."

"They've reached the end of the trail and are dividing into two groups. One will come at us head on, and the other plans to surprise us from the north. The wolves will ambush them."

"How many are there?" I breathed.

He stared blankly ahead as he rifled through our family's thoughts. "There are more than we expected. What are they…?"

"What is it?"

"Victoria and…" His eyes darted around as he counted them out, "six newborns aren't engaging the others. They're looking for you. She's going to-" He shook his head in response to something telepathically said. "No, just keep watch. Don't give them any reason to think we're near."

He suddenly smirked at something. "The wolves are doing an excellent job of ripping the newborns apart."

I made a face. "How lovely."

Move by move, Edward relayed the fight to me. He never let go of my hand, running the pad of his thumb over my knuckles comfortingly while speaking to Sam. His body would shift ever so slightly, almost as if it was itching to make different moves from those of our family and pack members.

And then my worst nightmare became a reality. A shockingly silent moment in time, followed by the fiercest snarl I'd ever heard rip out of Edward's throat.

"Jacob," he yelled, grabbing Cal up off the floor of the tent and handing him to me, all while shredding the tent and exposing us to the outside world again. "Drive them back toward the clearing!"

"What?" I screamed, looking around at the surrounding trees wildly. "What's going on?"

"They caught your scent. They're headed this way."

"Who, those newborns?"

He took a deep breath. "And Victoria."

"Oh, God," I whimpered.

Whatever expression I had on my face must've given my intentions away. Without a word, Edward took our now screaming son and waved me away.

"Jake!" I screeched, knowing that my only chance of keeping him here just a second longer was if I made a lot of noise. There was no way I could catch up to him, even if I phased; he was almost as fast as I was.

I leapt over a fallen branch, and for a moment, I wanted nothing more than to feel the thrill that came with the agility in this new life again, but I had much more important things on my mind.

"Don't go just yet," I shouted as I saw him scrambling to get to me. "Just wait a minute."

He huffed and jerked his head toward the campsite.

"They're fine. I just wanted to say something really quick."

He stood there and waited impatiently. Excitedly. It terrified me.

"Be careful."

He gave me an annoyed look in return.

"Be careful," I repeated, fidgeting nervously as I tried to put what I wanted to say into words. "I love you. You're… you're the best brother I could have ever asked for. If anything happened-"

In a blink, Jacob had phased and wrapped his arms around me in an intense hug. "I'll be fine, Bells. Give the mother hen routine a rest, would ya?"

I wormed out of his hold and stared at him in disbelief.

"I've been watching you. You're worrying about Edward and Cal—all normal—but everyone else too, and you're freaking yourself out in the process. I have no idea if it's possible for anyone in the pack, but you're going to end up giving yourself a heart attack if you don't stop. Then what would we be fighting for? Christ, you'd be giving that bitch exactly what she wants: dead Bella."

A small giggle broke free from my throat. "Yeah, okay. Go. Do your thing."

He grinned in response. "Oh, I am _so_ going to enjoy this."

This prompted the second eye roll of the day.

As soon as he'd phased again, I ran back up to where Edward was standing with Caleb, and nearly cried when I saw the two people I loved the most standing in a pile of ruin, waiting for Victoria to finally appear. All because of me.

Edward suddenly moved to block Caleb and let out a low hiss as he stared back at the woods behind me.

"Bella," he said lowly, "you remember everything Jasper said in all those training sessions?"

"Yes," I whispered.

He nodded and let his eyes flash to mine so quickly I almost missed it. "Give me your ring."

I ripped it off of my finger and thrust it at him, knowing good and well what he was doing as he put it in his pocket: he was making sure I could phase without notice.

The screeching sound of metal being ripped apart reverberated around us as Jacob and two young vampires came tumbling out of the woods, snapping and snarling and twisting around as they fought one another.

Edward stiffened and moved Cal between us. "Phase at the last second," he said so quietly, I could barely hear it. "Use her shock to your advantage."

I nodded, gearing up for battle. Adrenaline kicked in as I spotted wisps of long, curly, bright red hair at the edge of the tree line, and my hold tightened on Caleb, who stood absolutely still with fear.

"Don't move," I said to him as Victoria emerged, flanked by the remaining four newborns that were searching for us. She was just as I'd remembered. Her beauty made her seem so harmless, but the hatred burning in her eyes caused me to shiver. She was cold, calculating… lethal. "She's coming nowhere near you."

Cal's head bobbed up and down rapidly as he pressed his body closer to mine. Without a word, Victoria stepped closer to us and gave Jacob and her newborns a cursory glance.

But I was the target. Each of their faces contorted into a sinister smile, just before the other newborns took the first steps toward us.

Edward pushed away from us, anticipating the first move. Both male vampires to Victoria's right attacked, but with Edward's telepathic abilities, he was able to outmaneuver them immediately, and one was in pieces before I could even blink. The sound of the newborns' dismemberment tore through the air, just as the other two newborns rushed us.

Edward was faster.

He fought the vampires, slowly pushing them away from us. One particular newborn was strong and had more instinct, but was still no match for Edward.

"Bella," he grunted, lifting his arms to block the newborn's attempt to reach his throat.

"I know," I answered, keeping my eyes trained on Victoria. I was now the only one keeping her from Cal.

"A baby," she said in that sugary-sweet voice of hers. "Who'd have thought it possible? Have the Volturi seen him yet? I'm sure they'd love to take him to Italy… If I let them."

"You don't touch him," I seethed.

She threw her head back and laughed. "And what do you think you're going to do about it? Your mate's a little busy."

"Try me," I growled. "You might be surprised."

She glanced over to where Edward and her newborns were again, her face morphing into disgust as she realized that, even outnumbered, Edward was winning. It wouldn't be long before her newborns were defeated, and then no one would be left between Edward and her.

She took a step back in retreat… or maybe it was self-preservation. And suddenly, I _wanted_ to fight. I wanted this to be over so that we could all find some sort of peace in our lives. I was sick of constantly looking over my shoulder. I was sick of constantly being a source of angst for my family.

I wanted her dead.

"Where are you going?" I asked sweetly, pushing Cal further behind me. "You'll never have another opportunity like this one…"

Her face contorted in anger as she froze in place.

"Come on," I taunted. "James is gone. Riley's gone. My mate destroyed yours. Don't you want your revenge? I thought that was the whole point of this. To watch Edward suffer like you did. Now's your chance."

Victoria let out an enraged shriek and leaned forward into a crouch, curling her hands as she readied herself for a fight.

"Say goodbye to your mate, Edward," she spat, her eyes never leaving mine.

Tremors erupted in my body. Bloodlust pulsed through me, letting me feel exactly as Jake had. I was gleeful. Eager. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into her.

She had no idea what she was up against.

She rushed me, snarling with anger as she approached. At the last second, I pushed Caleb back far enough so that I didn't hurt him and finally let the urge to phase take over. I let my own furious growl out as I pushed off the ground to meet her, hoping to use her shock to my advantage, just as Edward had said.

She was shocked—there was no doubt about it—but still managed to get a good, solid hit on the left side of my ribcage as we collided. The wind rushed out of me as pain shot down my side, but I refused to let her go. I twisted, ignoring the new spurt of pain that rocketed through me as one of my ribs began to mend itself, and snapped at her neck. She moved just enough so that I missed, causing my teeth to merely graze her skin.

I barked in frustration.

We jumped up from the ground to regain our bearings. I used that moment to check on Caleb and Edward, while Victoria was no doubt trying to decide if I was unskilled enough to defeat. Caleb had managed to huddle down next to a tree a good distance behind us, and Edward had only one more vampire left to contend with. The rest were neatly stacked into a pile just at the left of our campsite.

In one quick move, he literally disarmed the vampire and watched him use his good arm to scramble back up off the ground and try to get away, only to run directly into Jacob's fuming form. Edward gave Jacob a tight nod, indicating that he was to finish off the vampire, before turning back toward me.

His eyes connected with Victoria's; his nostrils flared and his eyes burned with inhuman rage. I could see that Victoria was poised to flee now that she was left alone. As she swiveled around to run, I knew that I'd done damage to her somehow. It must have been done with sheer brute force since I hadn't heard the telltale sound of her skin being ripped apart by my claws, but it didn't matter. I could see her weakest point in the way her body shifted, how she favored her right side almost undetectably. So I lunged for her and took her to the ground, ready to finally end it all.

Edward flashed to my side, and I surprised him when I snapped at his hands as he reached for Victoria's neck. The look I gave him told him everything. She was mine. No one would threaten my mate or my child again.

He backed away immediately, leaving me ample room to work. In a quick, fluid motion, I ripped her neck open with my teeth, separating her head from her body instantly. I didn't move, just kept staring down at her lifeless face, the face that had been responsible for so much turmoil in our lives. I knew that it was only a matter of time before her body reanimated and searched its missing pieces out in order to reassemble itself. But killing her had just seemed so easy. Too easy. I still couldn't shake that feeling that something wasn't quite right. I kept thinking that I was missing something crucial. Vital.

"Bella, love, she's dead. Toss her into the pile with the others so we can dispose of them properly," Edward murmured soothingly.

I glanced back and saw him standing there with Caleb in his arms, effectively snapping me back into reality again.

Victoria was dead. Her remains were just under my paws.

My son was safe.

* * *

Edward

I could hear the battle still raging down below, sending the quick, stinging bite of guilt to find its way into my chest. We were up here, smiling and celebrating our victory with the igniting of the vampires we'd destroyed, but it didn't have a chance to take root inside me like it usually did. It was overshadowed by one thing:

Relief.

It was a palpable, tangible thing, invisibly connecting Bella and me together, further solidifying our bond. I held Caleb in my arms and struggled to keep from crushing him with my happiness. He was so tiny, so helpless still. He'd been entirely reliant on his mother and me to keep him safe. And while I'd never once doubted the abilities of my family and the pack, there was always the nagging question of "what if?" lingering in my mind. Because _what if_ we hadn't been able to keep him safe? How would we have even begun to cope with that reality?

After the last of the newborns and Victoria had been thrown in the fire, Bella turned around and started back toward us, phasing in mid-step. Her smile was radiant, victorious.

I smiled back at her and waited for her to get closer before speaking.

"Did she hurt you at all?"

She nodded. "She got my side when she attacked me, but it's already healed itself up."

"Good," I said softly. If anything were to happen to her…

She reached out and waited for me to pass Caleb to her. Only I couldn't. My arms wouldn't stretch out to her; my hand wouldn't release its grip around his leg.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked, staring at me curiously.

"They're still fighting down there and I…" I trailed off and shook my head. I had no way to describe this protective feeling that had come over me. "I don't know. I just can't let him go yet."

"Okay, then," she answered with a smile. She wrapped her arms around both of us and inhaled deeply as Cal snuggled against her.

Bliss. There was no other description for it. It was the euphoric feeling I'd read about in so many books, never once dreaming that I'd ever get the chance to find it in this existence. I loved them. With everything I was and ever would be.

"Hey, baby, are you okay?" Bella asked Caleb as she pulled back a little. I immediately jerked her back against me, causing her to giggle.

I wasn't exactly ready to release them yet.

He nodded. "Mama…" He pursed his little lips as he thought about it. "Mama awesome. Daddy too."

I laughed and stole a glance at Jacob. "Thank you. Did you get that from Uncle Jake?"

Caleb nodded and grinned.

"I hate to break up the lovefest, but what do you say we go down and help finish the rest of them off?" Jacob called out from his spot beside the burning pile of limbs.

"Not Bella," I said immediately.

She bristled in my arms.

"Not me?" she demanded, twisting away from me. Of course, I'd let her go, but that was beside the point. "I think I did a pretty good job showing you that I'm more than capable of handling myself."

"I know you are," I responded calmly as images of her fight flooded my mind. I'd wanted to drop my own battle and rush to her aid. I'd barely been able to focus on the vampire in front of me until I'd finally gotten a glimpse of what she was capable of in person.

It'd been an incredible sight to see, regardless of the fact that I was a little too busy killing my own misguided vampire to witness its entirety. Victoria's face registered a myriad of emotions. Shock. Fear. Frustration. Uncharacteristic of vampires, she stumbled back as Bella transformed, her mouth gaping at the sight of the enormous, chocolate colored wolf in front of her.

If it had been any other circumstance, I might have laughed.

"Then what?"

I started to inform her that it didn't matter because the battle was nearly over, but stopped just before the words left my mouth. More vampires were moving toward my family, their intentions to find the brunette—Bella—that they'd been told to kill. They'd been made without anyone's knowledge, not even Riley's, and hidden in the southern part of the state, away from where the other group of newborns was being noticed. They were Victoria's contingency plan, and they were quickly closing in on us.

I shifted Cal in my arms and gave them both a level look. "We need to go. Now. There are more newborns coming."

"Shit," Jacob hissed, exchanging a glance with Bella just before they each phased.

We hurried down the mountain at the pace I delegated. I focused on the newborns heading this way, making sure we kept moving faster than they did at all times. When we were halfway there, I moved Caleb so that he was pressed against my back.

"You hang on to me until I tell you otherwise. Got it?" I instructed him.

His chin lightly hit my shoulder as he nodded, and his grip on my shirt tightened. "Fight more?"

"Yeah. There're more of them where everyone else is."

He pressed his hand against my cheek, showing me his concern.

"They're fine. See?" I tapped into everyone's thoughts while his hand was still in contact with my skin.

"Kay," he said, satisfied now that he'd seen it for himself.

We arrived to chaos. Fighting between the remaining newborns and our families was in full force, while the second group of newborns were hurtling out of the woods at lightning speed, each of them attacking the first creature they encountered. The sounds of paws barreling across the valley to intercept an attack on another, the sound of a vampire being shredded, and the voices of my family, the grunts and snarls of the pack, all surrounded us.

Bella and Jacob launched themselves at the two newborns that had pinned Sam to the ground. As soon as I knew they'd freed the pack leader, I ran to where Alice and Carlisle were fighting back to back.

"I didn't know," Alice cried as soon as she saw me coming. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," I replied. "Victoria used your ability against us. There's nothing you could have done."

"We haven't seen her for a while," Carlisle informed me, bracing himself for another assault. "Did she escape and just leave all these… _children_ to their deaths alone?"

"No. She found us." They both gasped. "She's dead. Bella killed her."

"I'm going to kiss her when this is all over," Alice swore.

"So long as I get to watch!" Emmett chimed in from where he was busying himself by ripping the legs off of his current victim.

I rolled my eyes at his comment and walked toward the middle of the field, where the majority of the fighting was going on.

"Ready?" I asked Cal.

"Ready, Daddy," he said, clinging to me tightly.

"Okay."

The first vampire came at me fast and stupidly. It merely took one move to destroy him. The second vampire seemed to learn from the first's mistake, coming at me a little differently, but still—even without my telepathic ability—went in for the obvious attack.

I pushed him down to the ground and wrenched his legs so that he couldn't make a quick escape. I could hear his fearful whimpers against the cold grass and knew I had to act fast before I changed my mind. Carlisle's words reverberated through me. This newborn was just a child, a boy who just so happened to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. My more logical side knew of how shameful it really was to end his existence before it'd even begun. He was so young, younger even than I was when I'd been turned. Maybe if I _were_ more like Carlisle and had more compassion, I would have let him live. But I couldn't. It didn't matter that he had been fed the same lies from Victoria as Riley and the others and was another kind of victim in Victoria's plan for revenge. I simply couldn't allow him to live. The father, the vampire, the mate, the _imprint _in mewouldn't allow it.

I didn't look at his face or tap into his mind, instead focusing on the battle still raging around me. I knew from Jasper's stories that feeling the terror—in my case, hearing it—your victim felt just before their demise made things infinitely worse for yourself. I simply made quick work of disposing of the newborn, throwing pieces into the pile Rosalie was currently launching her own victim into, and then turned back to my family, intent on giving help where it was needed.

"Don't _ever _do that," I stressed over my shoulder to Cal.

"I won't," he promised, but I knew it was just that of a son wanting to please his father. In our world, the killing of another vampire was, unfortunately, all together too common. Even Carlisle fell victim to circumstance sometimes.

Like now.

On and on, the fighting ensued. The moment we would defeat one of the attacking newborns, another would surface and we would be forced to defend ourselves all over again. However mentally exhausted we were, we kept at it, not giving up until we'd whittled the number down to something more than manageable.

And maybe having Caleb so close to the danger distracted me a little. I'd been so focused on keeping him from being injured at all during the battle, paying attention to how he held on to me and making sure that he wasn't going to slip and let go… fall victim to one of the newborns close by, that I'd missed the newborn's thoughts of attacking Leah.

But I, like the rest of my family, knew her intent when she finally made her move.

The newborn used her strength to her advantage, leaping across the distance between them in a single bound. Leah wasn't looking, nor was she paying attention to the mental screams of warning from her pack members, the vocal ones from my family. She had all her attention on a meeker newborn at the edge of the field, one who was quickly spinning around to run. She never knew that the other newborn was watching her. She never noticed her approaching at the speed of light. And I knew one thing:

None of us were going to make it to her in time.

I took off at a dead sprint with Cal still on my back, shouting another warning out at Leah. I waited for the moment of impact, and knew that at this point, I could only hope to pull the newborn off of Leah before she inflicted too much damage to the wolf.

Only the impact never came.

_Edward…_

The newborn dropped to the ground with an ear-piercing scream, and then began to writhe around in pain as she was assaulted by some unknown force. Every one of us stared at her in disbelief. It was almost as if…

_Edward…_

His voice was unmistakable in my mind, belonging to the vampire I'd vowed to have end my life all those months ago at the thought of my then fragile Bella no longer existing in this world. He was the one man in our world who held the power to end my life with just a snap of his fingers or a murmur of a command.

"Aro," I replied, ignoring the gasps of surprise that came from my family to filter through his thoughts.

"Why are they here?" Rosalie asked, scanning the trees defensively.

Finally getting a handle on the Volturi's intent here in Forks, I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity for a moment before finally answering her.

"They're here for our help."


End file.
